Another black cab goes up in flames in just 45 seconds

A black cab burst into flames in central London on the day 600 taxis were recalled over fears of spontaneous fires.

Transport chiefs were forced to step in to order the immediate withdrawal of the suspect cabs having previously given drivers a two-week window in which to have the vehicles checked.

They have now launched an investigation into the fires. At least seven cabs have burst into flames in London, 11 across the country.

The latest fire came as disturbing new details emerged of the threat posed to the safety of taxi passengers and their drivers.

A source close to the investigation claimed the cabs' rear doors lock automatically when fire breaks out, potentially leaving passengers trapped in a blazing vehicle.

He also revealed how the latest fire had engulfed the cab in 45 seconds, leaving the driver little time to pull over and escape.

He told the Standard: "What is worrying is that the number of fires is more than double the commonly reported figure of seven. Senior people at TfL [Transport for London] are very concerned and are reviewing the situation with the fire brigade. All it needs is for one to catch alight and for someone to be killed.

"Imagine a disabled kid or an old lady was trapped in the back after it was all over the news yesterday."

The fires are being investigated by the Coventry-based manufacturer London Taxis International, the Public Carriage Office and TfL but the cause remains a mystery. TfL issued a statement last night, after being contacted by the Standard, saying it was suspending the licences of 600 TX4 models with a "56" number plate immediately.

A spokeswoman said: "The PCO will be contacting all drivers, owners and dealers to inform them of this suspension today. This is not a step we take lightly, but we cannot take any chances with the lives of London's taxi drivers or their passengers. Licences will only be reinstated once LTI have certified that individual vehicles have received a safety check."

LTI announced its own recall yesterday, giving drivers a fortnight to get their cabs inspected. But hours after the announcement a TX4 cab burst into flames in Park Crescent near Regent's Park. The driver, a man in his fifties, only just escaped in time.

Witness John Kennedy, 56, himself a cabbie, said: "I drove past just after it happened and it was a huge ball of flames. There was smoke pouring from the passenger window and flames leaping two feet above the bonnet. It was really going. I stopped to help but the driver had got out and there weren't any passengers."

A friend of the driver, who asked not to be named, said: "It went up in 45 seconds. The engine started to smoke, he pulled over and by the time he hit the pavement it was engulfed in flames. He's in a state of shock." Reports that a second cab had gone up in Battersea an hour later proved groundless but indicate how jittery cab drivers have become.