Worrying results were discovered following taxi checks in Coventry carried out on December 23rd.
A total of 23 private hire vehicles and hackney taxis were stopped during the blitz carried out by officers from Stoney Stanton Road police station, along with taxi licensing officers, benefit investigators and officers from VOSA.
Of those checked, 15 cabs were found to have defects and were taken off the road until faults were corrected. Two taxi drivers were issued penalty points and a fine.
Among the cab defects discovered were illegal tyres, defective suspension, steering and brakes and meters not giving an accurate time.
PC Dean Wainwright said: “The operation – particularly with such bad weather at the moment – is very worrying, as most of the defects are down to routine maintenance.”
Since random taxi checks were launched in Coventry in January 2007, of 738 vehicles checked, 298 have been found with defects.