Bolton Council today admitted failing to provide two promised "taxi police" to safeguard the town's black cab drivers.

It has been revealed that plans to install the late-night, out of hours enforcers, designed to combat private hire firms poaching customers from black cab drivers, were dropped last year.

A spokesman said the decision was taken because of "budget constraints."

The news comes a day before Bolton's 85 black cab drivers will discuss strike action.

A spokesman for Bolton Council said: "It is not the case that there is no out of hours enforcement. Our staff do work out of hours but the monitoring of illegal plying for hire by private hire drivers is only one of the issues."

But he added: "We do hold our hands up that two dedicated enforcers have not been employed. This is because of budgetary constraints but it is an issue that we are looking to resolve."

Bolton Taxi Drivers Association say their repeated requests for talks between drivers and Bolton Council chiefs have been ignored.

Angry members have claimed a small group of rogue private hire companies are poaching customers and the council is not doing enough to protect them. Confrontations have already led to a brick being thrown through a car window.

Cab drivers were also furious over repeated claims the two enforcement officers they say were promised to them last year have never been deployed.

The majority of Bolton's 85 hackney carriage drivers will now meet tomorrow night. Association Secretary Charles Oakes, a Bolton cab driver for 23 years, said members would debate what action is available.

Mr Oakes said: "If the Association feels that our members need to be balloted over possible strike action then this will be done. Strike action is one of the possibilities that members have asked for.

"But the possibility of strike action will be taken off the agenda if we can meet Bolton Council."

Hundreds of shoppers and night-time revellers could be left stranded if the black cab drivers go ahead with their threat of a walkout.

Mr Oakes added: "The Association will give full advance notice of any strike action if it is taken. Details and times will be passed to the Bolton Evening News, the police and Bolton Council.

"We will not leave members of the public stranded. There are only a small number of private hire drivers who are flouting the law, but they are causing us all sorts of problems."

A Bolton Council spokesman said: "This issue is one of a number of issues that we are discussing with representatives from the taxi trade. We meet with the Bolton Taxi Drivers Association every two weeks and in between are in regular contact with them.

"This is on top of the regular meetings with both black cab and private hire drivers together with elected members on our consultative panel.

"Other enforcement activities include visits to licensed premises to ensure conditions of public entertainment, checks on private hire operators and drivers to ensure safety of vehicles for passengers and check on door supervisors of places of entertainment.

"It is a question of how we use our resources to meet these requirements and we are in constant discussion about the best way of employing staff in this way."