HUNDREDS of taxi drivers in York are to be given special training to help them spot the warning signs of child sex exploitation.

All 298 hackney carriage drivers and all 582 private hire drivers licensed by City of York Council will be asked to undergo the training, and doing so will be a condition of any licence grants or renewals.

In the wake of the Jay report into the widespread child abuse scandal in Rotherham, councils across the country are looking at ways to minimise the risk of such crimes going undetected again.

Lesley Cooke, council licensing manager, said in a report that the training would help drivers spot indicators of deeper problems.

She wrote: "Through their work they regularly transport young and vulnerable people. Child sexual exploitation (CSE) training will give these drivers the tools they need to identify potential issues and reporting mechanisms.

"Since the publication of the Jay report in 2014 regarding the enquiry into CSE-related issues in Rotherham, licensing authorities have considered actions that can be taken to try to prevent such issues arising within their authority areas. One of these actions is the introduction of CSE training for hackney carriage and private hire drivers."

Her report and suggestions will be discussed by councillors next Monday. If they approve it, the new scheme will be implemented at the start of April, and all new drivers will have to complete the training as part of the application process or within six months of obtaining a licence.

If approved, all licensed drivers will undergo the training by October to enable it to take place before licences are renewed.

Local licensing officers had attended a national meeting on the best way to improve CSE training, and individual councils agreed to work with their Safeguarding Children's Boards (SCBs), to introduce the training.

Training is already delivered to licensed drivers who carry out school contract work on behalf of the council, and the report said that scheme would be "adapted and delivered to all drivers currently licensed" for free.

Representatives of the hackney carriage and private hire associations have been consulted about the proposal, and the report says they welcome the introduction of CSE training.

The report recommends the training be implemented once a formal consultation has taken place.

The issue will be discussed by the council's gambling, licensing and regulatory committee at West Offices at 4.30pm next Monday (February 8).