FURIOUS Eastleigh cabbies have vented their anger over council plans to dramatically increase the cost of their licences.

They have told councillors they are unhappy with proposals to bump up fees to cover increasing service costs because they had not been properly consulted.

Council chiefs plan to raise licence fees by around 50 per cent over three years in order to allow the service to break even.

It would also mean pooling the administration of taxis and private hire vehicles.

Cabbies argue that the increase will hit them hard in an area where trade and job morale is already low in comparison to neighbouring Southam-pton.

Alan Lloyd, 51, who has been a taxi driver for seven years, said councillors had produced no satisfactory evidence to substantiate the increase.

He said: "We understand that the service has to break even but it has to be transparent if you are going to hit people with a 50 per cent increase - you must have the figures in front of you. There is nothing here to show us why the increase is justified."

Council leader Keith House has now made recommendations for more detailed figures to be made available for cabbies to respond to in a further consultation later this year.

If the proposals go ahead, then in three years' time cabbies will see their drivers' licences going up from just over £60 to £75.50, vehicle licences from below £200 to more than £250 and operators' licences up from below £150 to around £170.

There are currently more than 500 drivers in the town. Drivers claim that a proposed increase in the fares they can charge to offset a future increase in fees will not be enough.

Taxi driver Stephen Lucas, 38, who has worked in the town for more than eight years, said: "The council needs to look at what they can do to improve the situation.

"The relationship between the trade and the council is not a good one at the moment and morale is horrendously low."

Wendi Batteson, assistant head of legal and democratic services, said: "We have a duty to ensure that this licensing function is a break-even one and is not subsidised as has previously been - the law states that it must be. But officers have felt that rather than hit the trade with a massive increase it was fairer to spread it over three years."

A further consultation is due to take place later this year.