CABBIES are calling for security camera surveillance to be stepped up after an Eastleigh taxi driver was threatened with a carving knife.

The terrifying incident happened while 39 year-old taxi driver Trevor Smirk was parked at the town centre rank and passengers had got into his cab.

Mr Smirk was standing on the pavement when another man came up and started banging on the cab window.

The taxi driver said: "He seemed to be trying to get at the man at the back of the taxi."

Then the incident turned ugly. The man, who had been banging on the cab window, suddenly pulled up his sleeve to reveal a wooden-handled carving knife.

Mr Smirk quickly got into his cab and drove off with his passengers. But he was so shaken that he did not work the following night.

He says the incident, which has been reported to police and was being investigated, was not picked up by the closed-circuit TV cameras.

Now Mr Smirk and his fellow cabbies have called for better TV coverage of the taxi rank.

The call comes as drivers have called for a wide range of improvements to the rank which runs alongside the recently revamped bus station.

Mr Alan Singleton, the drivers' representative on the hackney carriage committee, said: "The bus station looks fine, but the taxi rank has been moved to the centre of the road which gives us no protection from traffic which use this as a rat-run."

He said they had been pressing the council to provide a barrier screen to stop bus fumes drifting into the adjoining taxi rank.

Mr Singleton said: "The buses engines are left running, chucking out fumes all over our taxis which is not nice for us and our passengers."

He said: "We have been waiting for fume screens for the barrier for nine months.

"We have also asked for rubbish bins and a covered walkway to protect passengers in the bad weather. But nothing has happened."

An Eastleigh Council spokesman said that the taxi rank was covered by two roving CCTV cameras.

Commenting on the other issues he added: "The council has recently been requested to investigate the possibility of a fume barrier being installed.

"The council has requested bus operators avoid leaving buses with their engines running which is the main cause of the problem.

"The original plan for the taxi rank included a shelter but following negotiations with the taxi trade it was agreed with them to remove this feature from the plans.

"Passengers can take advantage of the new covered shelter at the bus station."