ANGRY taxi operators this week warned that Okehampton could see parking chaos because of a borough council decision they called 'crazy'.

Their fury followed a council vote on Tuesday to deregulate the number of hackney carriage licenses in West Devon.

The borough's environment committee took the decision at a special meeting in Tavistock. It means licences will no longer be restricted to 40 for the borough.

Taxi operators fear it will open the door to a flood of companies plying for trade in the town.

Bob Taylor, of Taylors Taxis, Okehampton, said he was seriously thinking about appealing against the decision if he could get enough support.

'There is certain to be a price war with people undercutting each other all over the place,' he said. 'It is good for the customer but for businesses like mine it is very bad news.'

Mr Taylor said he worked in Bristol for ten years before moving to Okehampton and when deregulation took place there within a year taxi numbers had increased from 278 to 600-plus and more than 1,000 private hire vehicles.

'I am luckier than most because I have a special vehicle which takes wheelchairs and prams, but for regular taxis this decision could put many firms out of business.'

Tony Holloway, who runs the office of Okehampton Taxis, said deregulation worked in cities like Exeter but not in a small town like Okehampton.

'A private company like ours looks after the people of Okehampton and the area 100 per cent — now you are going to get every Tom, Dick and Harry coming in from Plymouth and all over the place — it is going to be chaos,' he said.

Taxi firms in Tavistock were also incensed by the decision.

Janet Nowell, of Tavistock Radio Taxis, said: 'We left that meeting very angry. They made that decision without reading their paperwork — they didn't even know the difference between a private hire and a hackney carriage.

'I cannot fault the officers, but we are going to be on their backs now because there just isn't enough space for any more vehicles.'

Mrs Nowell said it would be 'survival of the fittest' for the taxi trade in the borough, particularly given the rocketing cost of car insurance.

Carol Nally, of Jay Cars in Tavistock said the borough council's decision was 'crazy'.

'It will mean an increase in hackney carriages and the public will be complaining that we're all over the place, taking up their parking spaces — they've made this decision without thinking at all about where we are going to go,' she said.

Mrs Nally said the council will now have to consider regulating tariffs in the area, introducing taxi meters and increasing the hours of the licensing officer.

Until Tuesday, it was council policy that hackney carriage licences in West Devon were restricted to 40, unless a survey undertaken by the borough revealed there was unmet demand.

But recently an applicant who was refused a licence challenged the borough in court, because the authority has not commissioned such a survey, which could cost up to £5,000.

Cllr Pat Warne proposed it was time to 'bite the bullet' and spend the money on a survey.

'We owe it to these people, and to protect the environment,' said Cllr Warne. The council was 'hanging itself' legally by not adhering to its own policy, she added.

But Cllr Sally Monk, of Yelverton, said there were no taxi ranks in her ward and she favoured an increase in licences through deregulation.

And Cllr Nicholas Waterhouse said continuing the 'quaint Spanish practice' of restricting trade in this way was not in the public interest.

He added that to spend money on surveys to maintain such a practice was 'ridiculous'.

West Devon mayor Cllr Robin Pike said the council was in a 'Catch 22' position.

'This is one of the most difficult decisions this council should have to come to. Whatever, it is going to please some people and upset others,' he said.

Nick Payne, environment services chief at the borough, said the council was under no legal obligation to provide taxi ranks and had no plans to increase the number of ranks or the hours of the licensing officer.

He said: 'Our clear legal advice is that we had to modify our policy — otherwise we run the risk of being repeatedly challenged, which would cost the tax payer a lot of money.'