Thurrock Council is set to crackdown on Uber over accusations drivers are not obtaining licences from the authority.

The company uses a virtual boundary known as a “geofence” within their app that designates Thurrock as part of Greater London, effectively allowing their drivers and vehicles to operate without having to adhere to the same regulations as competitors.

Thurrock Council says it will now be writing to the company asking them to “withdraw from Thurrock or make an appropriate operator’s licence application”.

It is not clear whether the council has the ability to stop the business from operating if they refuse to get a licence.

It had been implied during a council meeting last year that the company’s actions could be illegal, but a new report says “extensive legal advice” has been obtained and there is “no unlawfulness in the current operation”.

Dave Harmer, an employee at Lakeside and Purfleet Taxi which has operated in the borough for more than 30 years, said: “I don’t think any company in Thurrock is scared of competition as long as it is decent competition and they are insured like we are and follow the same rules as we do.

“Thurrock is a small borough with limited people and we get caught out if we were to do something wrong, but nobody is checking what the Uber does.”

He added that taxi firms that obtain the required licences have to follow strict regulations and are forced to charge slightly higher prices than Uber. The council will discuss the issue in more detail during the next full council meeting .