INCREASING violence towards taxi drivers has led to Blandford cabbies taking extra high-tech precautions.

Drivers are installing a revolutionary alarm panel system into their vehicles which, at the press of a switch, urges the public to ring 999 for police assistance.

In the event of an attack on a cabbie he presses a switch with his hand or foot which causes a neon message to flash up on a panel on the outside of the vehicle saying "Call Police" to alert passers-by that the driver needs help.

Terry Brannon, chairman of Blandford and District Taxi Association, said: "For some years now the amount of violence drivers are facing has increased.

"We are very vulnerable with the passenger sitting behind - drivers have had their seat belts whipped around their necks and money grabbed. One driver in Dorchester had a knife put to his neck and was told to drive to Weymouth. Many of us have been punched.

"One option is CCTV but it can only record pictures, not sounds, and it's expensive and not ideal as it can't record everything inside the vehicle and is only of use after the incident. What we want to do is alert people that there is a problem now and we need police assistance.

"We are asking the public to be aware of these signs because it's with their help they could save a driver from being hurt. It's not always easy for us to ring ourselves for help so if you can discreetly press a switch which activates a message asking someone else to ring it's got to be in our favour."

The Call Sign UK system, made by a Salisbury firm, costs around £110 to install and is already used in taxis in Wiltshire where it has the support of the police.

Mr Brannon said: "If the system can save you getting beaten up just once then it has been worth it."