ISN'T what's shocking about the fact that nearly one in three taxis checked in a police swoop in Burnley and Padiham was so unsafe that they had to be ordered off the road not so much this appalling state of affairs, but that it's nigh on routine?

I've lost count of the number of times down the years that this newspaper has reported on horror cabs being caught out in these crackdowns -- the most recent of which also netted 10 per cent of drivers alleged to be working while claiming benefits.

Marvellous, isn't it, you hire a cab and you end up risking your neck while paying tax to a bogus benefits claimant at the same time?

But why does this situation go on and on? We hear from police sergeant Eric Marshall that "unless standards improve we will have to question the suitability of some operators/drivers to hold a licence."

Oh, really? How about improving standards at a stroke -- by making it automatic that anyone operating a dangerous taxi, or even driving a safe one while claiming the dole, never gets a licence ever again?