ANGRY taxi drivers are set to hold a demonstration in Ipswich to protest against the council's refusal to meet their demands.Drivers are fuming after fares on night journeys were upped by a higher margin than day-time trips.

ANGRY taxi drivers are set to hold a demonstration in Ipswich to protest against the council's refusal to meet their demands.

Drivers are fuming after fares on night journeys were upped by a higher margin than day-time trips. The decision will see drivers protest on December 4 with the possibility of strike action to follow.

Drivers in the town had an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss the fare imposed on the taxi trade by Ipswich Borough Council.

The drivers oppose the night rate increase of 60p per journey and day rate increase of 20p and instead want a 40p increase for every fare.

The increase on journeys was recently raised after taxi drivers officially complained, but now the drivers say the increases are not properly balanced.

Eric Pearl, press officer for Ipswich Taxi Drivers Association (ITDA), said: "We wanted a straight forward increase that was simple and could be seen on the meters.

"The original increase was very small, they responded by loading up the night rate and keeping the day rate down. We are bitterly opposed to it.

"We are opposed to the high increase in night rate of 60p as this is too high an increase in one step for the public to bear."

Members of both the ITDA and the Ipswich Station Taxi Drivers Association (ISTDA) could now form a ballot to reject the increase and make an application to stop the council from imposing the fare.

There is set to be an official protest on December 4 in the form of a taxi cavalcade delivering ballot forms to council officials.

Mr Pearl added: "We intend to consider further legal action against the council to pursue an increase that we consider is fair to the public."

Nobody from Ipswich Borough Council was available to comment today.