LAZY taxi drivers who sound their horns to alert late-night fares could lose their licences for disturbing sleeping neighbours.

The amount of "taxi tooting" late at night has so concerned a council that it has launched a crackdown on noisy cabbies.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's licensing committee, which regulates the area's taxis, said drivers increasingly pull up outside homes and sound their horns rather than go to the door.

Committee chairman Brenda Forster said the council had received a number of complaints.

"The taxi drivers say they do it because they fear that when they get out of the taxi someone might get in and steal it. They should just lock the doors like ordinary people," she said.

The committee has asked officers to write a letter to all the borough's taxi firms asking them to show more consideration to neighbours.

Coun Forster said: "They have been told about this before but some of them don't seem to take any notice. We can take them in and give them a telling off and can take their licences off them."

Paul Barnes, manager of PSG Taxi's in Redcar, said his firm had never received a letter from the licensing committee, but added that he supported the council's crackdown.

"Our drivers stick by the law that says they can't blow their horns after 11.30pm and before 7am, and they all get it drilled into them.

"Other drivers are lazy and just sit there, but there are some areas I wouldn't recommend anyone getting out of their cars. But people should be waiting for a taxi if they have booked one.

"I think the council is right - there are some companies that do it and the council needs to crack down on the drivers."