A YORK cabbie is quitting working the city centre at night because he is sick of booze-fuelled passengers behaving like "animals".

Andrew Taylor is selling his seven-seat taxi after three years in the firing line.

He has witnessed yobs vomiting and urinating in his vehicle, fare-dodgers racing away without paying and vandals damaging his cab. His story was today echoed by other cabbies fed up with louts who let down the city.

The latest flashpoint for Mr Taylor came when a "mindless" passenger smashed his fist through a window because passengers would not make way for his queue-jumping pals.

The Acomb resident said: "I wouldn't be surprised by anything happening in my cab any more.

"Some passengers are like animals after they've had a drink. I've been doing this three years and I would say York city centre has got worse."

He decided to quit night work three months ago because of rising abuse, mainly from large groups of drunken men.

He says the latest midnight vandalism incident, in Tanner Row on Sunday, confirms he has made the right decision.

Mr Taylor, 44, who has a mesh protector behind his front seats, added: "If people are in a bad mood then they are going to take it out on us."

After Sunday's damage the Hackney driver's wheelchair-friendly Fiat Scudo, worth £20,000 new, is off the road awaiting a new £200 window.

Trouble flared when two couples inside his cab were verbally abused by one man in a group of five in their early 20s.

They refused to move after the vandal ordered them out - and when they slammed the door so the taxi could leave, the drunk shattered the 20 by 30-inch glass by hand.

"They did nothing to provoke him," recalled Mr Taylor. "It was just mindless."

Now he hopes to sell the cab and may do daytime private hire work to avoid drunks.

Previous incidents include a student urinating in the back of the cab and a disgruntled passenger kicking the vehicle. On Friday night a passenger did a "runner" without paying a £10 fare to Shipton.

Mr Taylor said bouncers at clubs where trouble starts should help police taxi ranks.

Judy Horwell, police liaison officer for the York Taxi Association, said problems were increasing. Many experienced drivers were leaving the trade as a result.

Mark Lee, of Ebor Cabs, said one reason he doesn't work nights is because of the trouble.

York Police confirmed they were investigating Sunday's incident. A spokesman said officers took violence against taxi drivers seriously.

Updated: 10:13 Wednesday, December 01, 2004