INDEPENDENT taxi drivers are continuing to threaten to strike in protest against the company that has won the franchise for Darlington's railway station.

Drivers in Darlington fear they will be driven out of business by a new national private hire company called Taxibank UK, which has been awarded the franchise by GNER.

The independent drivers pay an annual fee to the franchise owner to use the rank, and they fear Taxibank will only permit its own booked cars to operate in the station.

After threats of earlier strikes were averted, the drivers are planning to stop work on a Friday, which has not been specified, to cause maximum disruption to people in the town.

One taxi driver said the action could leave travellers stuck not just in Darlington but along the whole of the eastern mainline.

Taxibank has said it is hoping to secure franchises for all the station ranks along the East Coast Main Line, and install telephones on trains to allow rail passengers to book their cabs.

Taxibank managing director Quentin Curtis is asking drivers to talk to him about their concerns rather than take strike action.