A campaign has been launched for more taxis to be allowed on the streets of Brighton.

Private hire drivers are calling on councillors to allow more cabs and want Brighton and Hove Council to abolish the distinction between private hire cars, which cannot pick up passengers at ranks, and taxis which can.

They say taxi vehicle licences are currently changing hands at up to £30,000 each because of the shortage.

The Brighton and Hove Private Hire Association has put out a paper saying two-thirds of councils have already deregulated their taxi trade.

Eleven authorities are carrying out the process this year, including Hastings.

The document says: "Taxi vehicle licences are currently selling for £30,000 and not a penny goes to Brighton and Hove Council which issues them for nothing.

Deregulation would stop this overnight.

"The waiting lists for hackney carriage vehicle licences have about 150 people on them.

"Some have been waiting more than 20 years and at least 50 drivers have been waiting more than 13 years.

"A convicted killer or drug dealer can buy a licence on the black market and there is nothing the council can do about it."

The paper says in the Twenties there were 150 hackney carriage vehicles in Brighton and today there are 293.

Although tourism and the local population have grown greatly, the number of taxis has not.

But lead consumer councillor Jeane Lepper said: "This has been going on for many years.

"The hackney carriage trade would resist it forcefully."

She said adjustments were being made to the taxi trade as a result of the merger of Brighton and Hove, but deregulation was not being considered.

Coun Lepper, who often uses cabs, said there was already a problem with queuing at popular ranks and deregulation would make it worse.

She added: "You might have to wait 20 minutes for a taxi on a wet Saturday night, but at other times there seem to be enough.

"There has not been many complaints."