THREE driving instructors claim to have proved cabbies wrong by sitting - and passing - a controversial new test.

From April, taxi drivers in Darlington will have to pass the test to have their licence renewed, but they claim it is too tough and could put many of them out of business.

Now Ken Monkman, Dave Griffiths and Frank Ward, who all run independent driving schools in the town, have sat the test and passed it without a single fault.

"We have all passed without a problem," said Mr Monkman, 43. "The taxi drivers were saying that even driving instructors couldn't pass it. We found it fairly easy but then we have got a lot of experience."

Councillors agreed on the test in September and cabbies immediately threatened to strike. A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said yesterday that the authority was working with the three instructors - one of whom is a former cabbie - to provide drivers with free tuition.

He said: "We are going to try to make some money available to offer them an hour's tuition at no cost to them. With coaching, it is passable."

Taxi driver Ian Chandler said the instructors' passes proved nothing and that the drivers' argument was that they should not need to take the test at all.