TAXI drivers in Worcester have been invited to a city council forum to try and resolve an ongoing dispute.

The Guildhall has offered the trade an olive branch by revealing that it wants a better dialogue with taxi drivers from now on.

It follows a turbulent time in relations between the two, which started earlier in the year when the city council carried out a sting operation on cabs, and found 40 per cent of those checked were unsafe.

About 100 taxi drivers protested outside the Guildhall in March after the authority decided to make the report public.

Worcester Taxi Drivers Association (WTDA) has called it a "long overdue" attempt to ease relations.

Anne Murphy, secretary of the WTDA, said: "We haven't seen the final agenda, but I've seen some of the things likely to be up for discussion and it includes things such as limits to the number of licensed taxis in Worcester, the condition of vehicles, and people driving illegally.

"All we want is decent conditions to provide a service for the people of Worcester. There are lots of issues, such as how drivers suffer verbal and physical abuse, and it can't be swept under the carpet. That's why this meeting is well overdue."

The taxi forum, which has been confirmed for Monday, June 25, will be chaired by city council chief executive David Wareing and include representatives from the police.

Councillor Simon Ger-aghty, leader of the city council, said: "There are lots of issues that have been festering for a long time, many of which are not beyond the wit of man to resolve.

"Communication is the key. This is about making sure issues are dealt with so that we can move on into a new phase. David Wareing is the perfect person to chair it. This is not political, and any policy issues from the forum will be fed back to the cabinet."

A Worcester police spokesman said: "We work very closely with the Worcester Taxi Drivers Association and the city council, and this meeting is a more externally tangible version of that."

The county council will also be invited to attend the meeting, as will licensing officers and members of the South Worcestershire Safe-ty Partnership.