People using taxis in the Vale of White Horse face a sharp increase in fares on longer journeys.

Firms are blaming bigger insurance premiums and higher fuel costs for the rise.

The first seven-tenths of a mile costs £2.70 rising to £3.75 after midnight and bank holidays.

It is proposed that these figures should remain unchanged.

But big increases will be clocked up for longer journeys with each extra one-tenth of a mile going up from 15p to 20p -- a rise of 33 per cent.

After midnight and on bank holidays the extra one-tenth of a mile fare would go up from 23p to 25p -- a nine per cent increase.

The proposed new hackney carriage tariffs result from talks between the Taxi Forum -- comprising the operators and the licensing authority, the Vale of White Horse District Council.

The increases will be advertised in newspapers and, if there are no objections, the new fares will be introduced in August.

The council's executive has approved the new tariffs but if objections are lodged they will still be considered by the executive.

The last increase was in July last year but the one-tenth of a mile price did not go up and councillors said the proposal to increase the tariff was a "fair request".

Member of the Taxi Forum and owner of Auto Taxis in Abingdon, Jason Atherton, admitted the increases were steep but said some parts of the tariff had not gone up for two years. Operators faced rising costs.

He said he was annoyed that fare increases had to be advertised and people could lodge objections.