Taxis in Oxford could be fitted with CCTV cameras in a bid to deter attacks on drivers across the city.

Members of Oxford City Council and the Oxford Licensed Taxi Association met Thames Valley Police yesterday to discuss the feasibility of the project.

Similar schemes are already run in other cities across the country but the Oxford proposal is still in its early stages.

There are currently 99 hackney cabs in Oxford, which are the responsibility of the city council, and 210 private hire vehicles.

It is estimated that it would cost about £500 to install cameras in each cab but there could be extra administration charges on top.

The cost would not be met by the council, which simply licenses and regulates drivers.

Council taxi and licensing officer Phil Pirouet said: "We have had preliminary discussions with the CCTV manager at St Aldate's about the implications.

"There have been a number of incidents over the months of drivers being assaulted and vehicles smashed up, but this has not arisen through any particular incident.

"Then there are also the usual problems with drunks and those who run off without paying."

Mr Pirouet added that discussions were in "very early stages" and that a number of factors, including cost and Data Protection Act implications, would have to be considered.

There were also a variety of camera systems which could be installed, ranging from those which beam back live images to a controller or those which contain a tape recorder in the cab.

It was revealed that Oxford's streets are now covered by 21 CCTV cameras. The first were installed in May 1999.

Two new cameras have been put up to cover Park End Street and two more at Worcester Street South.

David White, CCTV manager for Thames Valley Police, said: "These cameras will be an extremely useful addition to our CCTV system.

"They will provide valuable evidence to the police and help with a range of community safety issues."

Since the first cameras were introduced, there have been 659 arrests directly attributed to images being beamed to St Aldate's Police Station.

It is this success which has led to city council officials deciding to look at whether the cameras could successfully be installed in taxis.