TWO drivers have had their licences suspended as a council launches a crackdown on cabbies who break the rules.

The drivers have been suspended for 28 days after they were caught parking outside the marked rank at the Waterglade Park, in Clacton.

It is the first time Tendring Council has suspended a taxi licence using a three-strikes rule, where drivers are called before the licensing committee on the third occasion they are caught breaking the rules.

Nigel Brown, the council’s communications manager, said: “These drivers were given an informal warning, followed by a second warning, face to face, which was backed up with a letter.

“On the third occasion, they received a letter to say they were required to go before the council’s licensing committee and members decided to take the action of suspending them.”

The drivers have 21 days from the date of their suspension to appeal.

Mr Brown added one other taxi driver was on a third warning and due to go before the committee, 12 were on two warnings and 42 were on one warning.

The new system was annouced in the council’s newsletter in February.

Evidence of parking was gathered by officers using a digital camera.

The suspensions have been criticised by Alan Kirkham, chairman of Tendring Taxi Drivers’ Association. He said: “A suspension of 28 days is too long.

“For a taxi driver, 28 days is a long time. It could break him. It could make him finished for good.”

Mr Kirkham said drivers had little choice but to break the rules, because of the difficulty in finding legitimate parking spaces in the town.

He said at least one of the taxi drivers was appealing against the ban.