CAB fares in Fareham look set to be driven up after Fareham Borough Council voted to triple its fee for swapping licences from one car to another.

Charges for permanently or temporarily transferring a taxi or private hire plate to another vehicle are set to rise to £176 from £53 and £21 respectively.

The move, which comes into effect from today (after Tuesday night's vote, was criticised by some taxi firms amidst claims smaller companies could be forced out of business or to raise their tariffs.

"This is an outrageous hike in charges. Smaller firms like mine could be hit really hard, and some may even decide it's not worth the cost," said Terry Bailey of Terry's Taxis.