Cabbie scheme for battered women

London taxi drivers are being asked to help women fleeing domestic violence, as part of a campaign being launched today by the Government.

They are being trained to spot tell-tale signs of domestic abuse and to pass on information about women's refuges or take victims to a hospital or police station.

The move follows research which found that helpline information needed to be provided to victims in a safe and discreet way and in places where they would encounter it routinely, such as on the back of supermarket receipts or at bus stops.

However, campaign organisers emphasise that licensed cab drivers are not being asked to become counsellors or intervene in a dispute.

The scheme will initially run for a year in London and will be rolled out across the country if successful.

Recent statistics show that one in four women has experienced domestic violence, and that one woman is killed every three days by a current or former partner.

Taxi receipts will carry helpline numbers and 325 cabs will be fitted out with the campaign logo and contact numbers for the Refuge and Women's Aid charities.

Sandra Horley, chief executive of Refuge, said vulnerable women needed access to information and support to be able to assess whether to leave their partner. "Refuge welcomes this imaginative way of putting abused women in touch with the lifelines they so desperately need," she said.

"We are confident the initiative will encourage women to break their isolation and seek valuable, life-saving support."

One in four people in London use a taxi at least once a month and there are almost two million taxi trips a week. The campaign will cost about £60,000 to launch in London.