Cabbies in a Kent city have been banned from flying the flag for England during the World Cup by killjoy council officials.

The drivers from Canterbury say they have been threatened with having their licences suspended if they breach strict rules about the appearance of their vehicles.

Those is neighbouring Herne Bay are planning to defy the ban, come what may.

The council claims the ban is for health and safety reasons, but the taxi drivers suspect it is because of a misguided belief that it would upset racial minorities.

Cabbie Colin Mitchell recently fell foul of Canterbury City Council when he tried to fly the flag of St George to celebrate St George’s Day.

He said: "I was told in no uncertain terms that I would be taken off the road if I did, which seemed over the top.

"The World Cup only comes around once every four years, so I would have thought it was a special case.

"We only want to fly a little flag from our aerials or have a little sticker to show our support."

Fellow driver Malcolm Cooper added: "I would have thought they could have relaxed the rules for the few weeks of the tournament.

"But I think there is some anti-racial line behind this and they’re worried about offending someone. " All cabbies have to have either a hackney or private hire licence from the city council and their vehicles must comply with specific requirements, including displaying taxi signs and having black and white chequered livery on the sides.

Council licensing chief Roger Vick said the rules governing the appearance of taxis were in place for health and safety reasons and nothing to do with offending racial minorities.

He explained: "We simply want them to look like taxis so there is no confusion for customers.

"During the World Cup there will be a lot of cars with flags and stickers driving about, but taxi customers need to know that the vehicle they are getting into is a licensed taxi.

"There was a case in Dover not long ago of a woman who got into a vehicle she thought was a taxi late at night and ended up being attacked."