600 black cabs recalled after mystery blazes

Seven taxis have burst into flames in the capital this summer and at least 11 have caught fire across the country.

The fires on the two-year-old cabs are being investigated by the manufacturer, the Public Carriage Office and TfL but the cause remains a mystery.

London Taxis International has ordered an emergency recall of about 600 TX4 cabs with the backing of the PCO. One hundred with "56" number plates - registered in September 2006 - are due at the PCO's Penton Street depot for examination by Friday.

A second batch of around 500 made at around the same time must be scrutinised by Friday week.

All were built at London Taxis International's Coventry factory.

Any of the vehicles not taken for examination and signed off as safe by the PCO will be barred from operating. A Transport for London spokeswoman said that depending on the outcome of its own investigations hundreds of cabs could be ordered off the roads before the deadlines.

"We have appointed our own fire safety expert to look at the cabs that caught fire," she said.

"We may reconsider our response and order cabs off the road sooner depending on what we find.

"It is not a step we would take lightly because it is people's livelihoods but we will not take any chances when it comes to the safety of the passengers and drivers."

The PCO said it became aware of the fires in July but LTI assured the office it was conducting thorough investigations and there was no indication that the fires were caused by a design fault - however this has not been ruled out.

So far there have been no reported injuries but drivers and passengers were terrified, industry sources told the Standard.

The sources added that the blazes under the vehicles' bonnets shorted out vital wiring, making it impossible to open rear passenger doors from the inside. This is denied by LTI.

As a precaution, one large cab operator has barred wheelchairs from cabs hit by the recall.

TfL said the PCO had details of all affected cabs in the capital and that it was fully co-operating with LTI.

The PCO was providing the manufacturer with facilities at its depot, and inspectors, to help with the recall.

Drivers spotting smoke coming from the engine have been advised to stop and evacuate the cab but to leave the bonnet closed before dialling 999.

One cab driver who contacted the Standard said: "It is very frightening when the cabs go up - they flare up so badly you would think they were petrol vehicles, not diesels, which tend not to do that. The fires were dramatic."

Vehicles with identification numbers from 200000 to 200500 are believed to be affected by the recall.

TfL is continuing to monitor the situation but said it was "still safe" to travel in a black cab, with less than three per cent of London's 21,000 taxis being recalled.

LTI confirmed that the precise cause of the blazes had not yet been identified but measures were "being put in place to minimise the risk to both passengers and drivers".

It was contacting owners of all suspect vehicles.