AN under age taxi driver will be able to carry on driving until he turns 21 in November.

Wesley Westaway, 20, applied for his licence in good faith but Teignbridge council officers failed to spot that he was too young and granted the licence in January. When the matter came to light his licence was suspended on public safety grounds. He appealed, which meant he has been allowed to continue driving pending an appeal hearing.

On Monday Wes appeared at South Devon Magistrates at Newton Abbot to fix a date but pressure on court time meant the earliest hearing date is November 18, 11 days after his birthday when he will be allowed to hold his taxi-drivers' licence anyway.

Afterwards, Wes, who works for Teignbridge Taxis, claims he was 'ratted on' as part of a dirty tricks campaign against his employer.

'There has been quite a bit of hostility towards me from other taxi drivers. If I had been working for any other taxi company in Newton Abbot, I don't think this would have come to light,' he said.

He said a rival taxi driver investigated his date of birth then rang the council to complain.

'Ever since that, the rank has made it quite a nasty place to be.'

He said he was relieved at the outcome as he has invested £4,000 in his taxi and cannot afford to let it stand idle.

Mark Hewings, director of Teignbridge Taxis, admitted: 'We're not well-liked because we are quite successful.'

The company is the largest in town, operating 26 Hackney carriages.

'We want him to be driving, he is a decent driver. We've got no argument with the council. It was a genuine mistake and Wesley slipped through the net.'

A Teignbridge Council spokesman confirmed it investigated Wesley's age after receiving a complaint from another taxi driver.