Cash blow to return of marshals.

HOPES that a successful Black Country taxi marshal scheme will be relaunched have been dashed, after borough councillors said they simply don't have the cash to continue carrying it on.

The grant-aided scheme, which operated in Walsall town centre, ended in March.

It saw council-appointed taxi marshals ushering late-night drinkers home safely by guiding them to taxis at established ranks in Lichfield Street and Bradford Place.

The scheme was first put on trial in 2007, and returned in December 2008 to cover the Christmas period.

Locals had praised the service for helping reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour and drunken violence in the town centre.

But John Beavon, trading standards manager at Walsall Council, said that due to "difficult" funding decisions, a permanent return of the scheme was not possible.

"We have looked at a range of methods of operating the scheme," he said.

"But we have had to make some difficult funding decisions to maintain services to the most vulnerable members of our communities, and at present, the service is unsustainable."