FOUR taxi drivers were told they would not have their licences renewed at a meeting yesterday.

Darlington Borough Council's general licensing committee rejected the applications when it met in the town hall.

Joseph Price, 52, of Whitby Way; Brian Foster, 45, of Jedburgh Drive; and Malcolm Kaye, 55, of Carmel Road North, all Darlington, appeared before the committee.

But councillors threw the applications out because the cabbies had not passed the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) test.

The council introduced the test in 2002 and it sparked controversy last year.

The Amicus union took Mr Kaye's case against the DSA test to the High Court, but the authority won.

Meanwhile, Wayne Buckle, 37, of Holgate Moor Green, Darlington, was told his licence would not be renewed because he had failed to declare a speeding conviction.

No action was taken against Angela Spence after it was claimed that she refused to take a fare because a disabled customer's wheelchair was too big to fit in the back of her car.

Committee chairwoman Isobel Hartley said there had been some confusion in the matter.