The decision, which will allow Uber to operate directly in the south Cumbria area, has been met with anger from independent operators.

The Bournemouth Taxi Rank Association, representing around 100 hackney drivers, has launched a petition against South Western Railway in response to the reported plan.

The 12-week consultation was approved by the city council's licensing committee following pushback from private hire drivers over a "too strict" new policy.

The committee was presented with a history of misconduct, including a recent assault charge involving the driver’s daughter.

The girl, Lottie Turner, was a passenger in an A1 Cars taxi on Wednesday, September 10, when the driver made an unauthorised stop to pick up a second, "vulnerable" man.

The issue was brought to a head during a September 15 meeting of Kirklees Council’s Licensing and Safety Committee, which was set to vote on a fee increase for hackney and private hire licences.

Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, September 11, Chris Webb MP highlighted the negative impact on the local economy and the livelihoods of taxi drivers.

Stafford Borough Council has updated its taxi licensing policy to permit black hackney carriages in the area, ending its long-standing rule that only white vehicles could be used.