BARNSLEY'S taxi drivers are meeting with police to find ways of tackling increasing violence against cabbies.
Mark Cox, chairman of Barnsley Hackney Carriage Association, said the group was due to meet police next week to discuss solutions to the escalating problems, which have included a stabbing and assaults.
He said: "We have some ideas to put forward which will hopefully help regarding assaults on drivers. These kinds of incidents used to be very rare but lately it's happening more, especially on taxi ranks."
Pete Tingey, whose Blue Line company does 1.2 million taxi runs a year in Barnsley, said that in the past year one of his drivers was stabbed while taking a £10 fare to Darfield.
Another was threatened when an assault involving a husband and wife took place in the back of a cab in Silkstone.
The Silkstone incident ended with the cab having to be written off after damage estimated at £3,500 was caused by the drunken husband repeatedly kicking the car. The taxi driver narrowly escaped injury.
Mr Tingey said: "It's getting rough in Barnsley. I blame cheap alcohol and the loss of the 11pm closing time for pubs and the 2am closing time for nightclubs. You should see Barnsley town centre on a Sunday morning - it looks like a war zone."
He said of the Darfield incident: "It started when the passenger said he was going into his house to get cash but didn't come back."
He said the driver was attacked when he went to recover his money.
Both the Darfield and Silkstone addresses have been 'barred' by Blue Line, meaning the firm will not pick up fares there.
DI Gary Askew from Barnsley CID said he would speak to Mr Tingey about violence against cabbies.
He said: "I know we dealt with the Darfield incident but we need to know about any others. We want to prevent these kinds of incidents in Barnsley."
