A LEADING councillor is throwing his weight behind the right of Shaw taxi drivers to support England's World Cup bid by putting up posters in their vehicles.

Taxi proprietor Farooq Yousaf came unstuck with Oldham Council when they banned him from sticking posters in the back of his cabs bearing the flag of St George and the words 'Come on England'.

The council told Mr Yousaf, who owns Motown Private Hire which has 40 taxis, the stickers were a form of advertising and therefore banned.

He said: "It's ridiculous. They told me we were advertising, but what are we advertising?

"All I am advertising is England. I think it's the 'Come on England bit' that's upset them. I can't understand it. It's just a show of support of England for the World Cup."

Mr Yousaf has now got the support of Councillor Howard Sykes, a Shaw councillor and leader of the Liberal Democrats on Oldham Council.

Councillor Sykes has written to Tom Flanagan, executive director of Oldham's environmental services department, saying the ban on Mr Yousaf's stickers could lead to people deriding and ridiculing the borough of Oldham.

In it he said: "I am normally a firm supporter of the stance that we take as an authority in relation to advertising on taxis within this borough, but in this particular circumstance I think we have taken the policy to its ultimate and excessive extreme.

"I cannot believe when the policy was developed in relation to advertising on taxis that it was ever intended to preclude expressions of support for our country in such a special and prestigious tournament as the World Cup.

"As you are well aware, the World Cup occurs only once every four years and is only of real relevance in terms of patriotic support if and when our country qualifies. As the past record shows, qualification by England is never a foregone conclusion.

"Can we not, in the run up to and throughout the competition, adopt an approach that is both sensible and realistic and which also display a modicum of common sense?

"The way in which we sometimes deal with these kinds of issues frustrates me. This once again is an issue that the national media will no doubt gleefully seize upon and use it as another way of deriding and ridiculing our borough. Can we have a break out of common sense, please"

A spokesman for Oldham Council said a bylaw prevents licensed vehicles displaying notices, advertisements or signs. It welcomed displaying flags of any nation during the World Cup, but only if permission was given, but flags with words on, such as Mr Yousaf's, would be banned.

Mr Yousaf says if the decision is not rescinded he will sell the posters to his customers and give proceeds to Dr Kershaw's Hospice in Royton.