Transport for London (TfL) has announced the arrest of over 170 people in a crackdown on illegal taxis.

Operation Safer Travel at Night is a joint venture between the Metropolitan Police Services' Safer Transport Command and City of London Police, and is aimed at enforcing a ban on unlicensed minicabs. 

The scheme mainly runs between the start of the academic year in September and over the Christmas period, with face-to-face representatives meeting with students and other members of the public to discuss the dangers of getting into so-called tout cabs.

In addition to the arrests, more than 5,000 taxis were stopped and checked as part of the operation, including private-hire firms. 

TfL's director of enforcement and on-street operations Steve Burton commented: "Un-booked minicabs put the travelling public at risk and we are committed to cracking down on this illegal and unsafe activity."

The Safer Travel at Night partnership was launched in 2002 and was set up to reduce the risk cab-related sexual assaults.