A LACK of taxis in Cirencester at night has raised fears about the safety of young women, and that people may go elsewhere for pubs and clubs as they can’t get home.

Town councillor and chamber of commerce secretary Claire Wardell has raised the issue after she struggled to get a taxi in the Market Place after midnight on Sunday morning.

After a hen do, Cllr Wardell, who lives in the Beeches area, said she called three or four local taxi firms and was told it would be a two or three hour wait.

“I was stood with at least six different individuals who couldn’t get cabs,” she said. “I have had nights out in other towns and you see rows of cabs at night.

“For some reason we have an overload in the day, but hardly anything at night. It’s rubbish for Cirencester. For a small town there are plenty of popular bars and pubs open until late.”

The mum added: “I do worry about young girls having to walk home at night.

“I’m a 40-year-old woman but I just can’t help thinking about these young girls walking around Cirencester in their heels.”

Many local residents said they struggled to get a taxi late at night.

Writing on Facebook, Rebecca Dunnaway said: “Anything after 11.30pm and you’re told there’s a two-hour wait. It’s terrible. All the taxis we have in Cirencester and only a few of them seem to work nights.”

A Cirencester business owner, who did not wish to be named, said she failed to get a taxi at 8pm on Sunday evening after getting off a train at Kemble Station.

She said she rang all the taxis listed on the board at the station and “could get through to one number” and “that taxi could only get there 50 minutes later”.

She said she got off the train with three other passengers, none of whom had travelled together, with a friend of hers able to give a lift to her and one other.

“My friend was going to drop him off in town so he could a cab from outside the Kings Head but there weren’t any there so he took him all the way,” she said.

One woman had set off from the train station “to walk with her suitcase to Oaksey” – almost four-and-a-half miles away, she added.

On Facebook, Melanie Scrivens said she was coming back from London a couple of months ago and, due to delays to her coach, got into Cirencester at around midnight and “couldn’t get hold of a taxi after trying five different numbers”.

But several cab drivers told the Standard people need to book in advance, particularly at this time of year when there are evening events taking place on weekends.

Lee Green, owner of A2B Taxis of Cirencester, writing on Facebook, said he is “screaming out for night drivers and can’t get them”.

“Maybe if it wasn’t so expensive to get a licence more people would do it,” he added.

Another driver estimated that per year, cabbies pay £200 to the district council to register their cars, while licenses cost around £240, and he also pays about £1,600 in insurance.

Cotswold drivers, of which there are over 90, “haven’t had a metre rise for over 10 years,” he added. “Fuel has trebled since then and insurance has doubled. We’re one of the cheapest of 400 or so councils but highest for fuel.”

He said there often isn’t enough demand on weekday nights for cabbies to be waiting on the rank until late.

But he added: “We always make sure the women get home, even if they’ve got no money.”