RICHMONDSHIRE does not need any more taxis, experts have concluded.

Halcrow Group Ltd consultants studied the district's taxi trade on behalf of Richmondshire District Council.

The study was commissioned after the council was told by the Government to prove there was no shortage of taxis if it wanted to continue limiting hackney licences.

Inspectors looked at waiting times for taxis and consulted with users, taxi drivers and community leaders.

The report concluded: "The study has identified that there is no evidence of significant unmet patent demand for hackney carriages in Richmondshire.

"It is recommended that Richmondshire District Council retain an entry control limit on the size of the hackney fleet at 65 licences."

The report said there was limited anecdotal evidence of a shortage of taxis in Wensleydale.

But this was rejected by taxi driver Mick Young, of Harmby-based MY Taxis.

He said: "There's not enough demand for taxis as it is.

"Without school and social service contracts, we would struggle to survive."

The report also concluded there was a shortage of disabled accessible vehicles.

The study said: "The results indicate that while obtaining a normal taxi entails a relatively short delay, it is very much more difficult to obtain a disabled accessible taxi.

"Removal of this discrepancy would require an additional 25 disabled accessible vehicles."

However, the consultants say, this issue is not sufficient reason to deregulate the trade.