MOST taxi drivers in Teignbridge are receiving tax credits to get by, all brought about by deregulation they claim.

They say their warnings to Teignbridge Council 18 months ago of the problems that would occur if they went ahead with a free for all, has come true.

Paul Hayden, a Newton Abbot taxi driver for nearly 20 years, says the district authority ignored their warnings and now cabbies could unfortunately say 'I told you so'.

He said there were originally 89 black plates in the district but there were now 210 with another 20 waiting.

'They should have had a survey, but they didn't and everything we warned them about has come true,' he said.

Mr Hayden said the huge number of taxis in Newton Abbot highlighted the problem with the vehicles operating mainly from two ranks.

Neither were council owned or large enough for all of them.

Mr Hayden had written to the council last year saying that if it sanctioned deregulation 'then you may as well fire up the crematorium, because many businesses and livelihoods will die the moment the ink has dried'.

He has now written again to the authority calling for a suspension of hackney plates for three years.

In his letter he points out that he used to work around 55-60 hours a week. 'Now I have to work at least 90 hours per week for less money. In a week's shift during September I completed 94 hours 17 minutes. My driving time was only nine hours four minutes.

'I spent 85 hours and 13 minutes static on the rank. Other operators and myself pay £675 annually to First Great Western per vehicle to park on their allotted taxi rank. This is an extortionate amount of rent just to sit in my vehicle.'

Teignbridge MP Richard Younger-Ross is also pressing the council to consider suspending the issuing of further plates for 12 months until the problem of rank space is resolved.

The matter is to be discussed at the district authority's regulatory and appeals committee on Thursday.