TAXI drivers have reacted angrily to council figures that suggest many of them lack basic ability in English and maths.

As we reported last week, one in five drivers are failing to meet adequate levels of literacy and numeracy required for the new Transporting Passengers BTEC qualification, introduced last year.

But drivers have come forward to say this is not because they lack intelligence, but because the council failed to screen applicants properly before giving them a licence.

John Florance, who has been a cabbie in Bournemouth for over 20 years, said: "This test was introduced because the council realised they had hired loads of drivers who could not speak English.

"It's not their fault - it's just that English is not their first language.

"It is the council that made the mistake. They should have ensured drivers had a good enough grip of the language before licensing them.

"They realised their mistake and now they're closing the gate when the horse has already bolted."

Between 15 and 20 per cent of the 500 drivers who have so far taken the test were found to need extra tuition.

John Tye, who has been teaching the BTEC course for the past year, said: "We are having serious language difficulties with many candidates and we have to work hard to get them up to standard.

"Taxi drivers have to deal with very complex situations - picking up people who have been involved in violence, or from hospital, or from court.

"They need a strong grasp of English in order to empathise and know the best place to take people."

Keith Evans, licensing officer for Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "The BTEC exam was introduced as part of a national programme to increase the standards of taxi drivers.

"As an authority that has the benefit of a healthy tourism trade, we feel that our taxi drivers act as ambassadors for the town and so it is important to regulate the awarding of licences. We are proud to have been the first authority to make the exam mandatory."