Colour-coded ID plates for taxis

The new plates will be issued to all drivers by 1 October

Coloured-coded plates are to feature on vehicles to help customers distinguish between private hire cars and taxis.

Green licence plates are to be issued to hackney carriages and blue ones to private hire vehicles by Suffolk Coastal District Council.

The council said the plates would enable passengers to enjoy a journey knowing the driver and car had passed "strenuous tests".

The new plates will be issued to all vehicles in the district by 1 October.

The district has 45 licensed hackney carriages and 103 private hire vehicles (which can only be pre-booked).

Councillor Les Binns, of Suffolk Coastal District Council, said: "It will now be much easier for the public to identify one of our officially licensed vehicles.

"It also will make it easier for the public to identify which car they can legally hail for a lift and which they need to pre-book by telephone."