A crackdown was launched to tackle illegal cabs touting for fares, after Ealing was branded a hot spot due to a high number of late night bars, clubs and takeaways.

Extra police will be drafted in at night to back up the campaign launched by London Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport for London.

The move has been welcomed by cab operators in Ealing, who say illegal touts are damaging their businesses.

Saied Ali, who runs a minicab firm near Ealing Broadway station, said: "It is definitely a problem around here, mainly outside the pubs and clubs.

"As well as being unsafe it also affects our business as they are stealing our fares. People are drunk so don't know what they are getting into sometimes."

The campaign will use outdoor posters, radio and television adverts to get its message across, and students at Thames Valley University will be made aware of late night travel alternatives to discourage them from using illegal cabs.

A wider campaign across London has led to a drop in cab-related sexual offences of 44 per cent since 2002, according to police statistics.

The number of women who use illegal cabs to get home at night has also dropped from 19 per cent to three per cent since 2003.

Mr Johnson said: "If there's one message I want to get across, it's that women should never travel in an illegal cab - it is just not safe."

And chief superintendent Joe Royle said: "The dangers of taking an illegal minicab should never be underestimated. Our cab enforcement unit's dedicated anti-tout initiatives help to reduce crime while improving the safety of passengers."

TfL has launched a new service which texts details of the nearest authorised cab operator on request, and recommends using its journey planner website to plan a route home.

Visit www.tfl.gov.uk/cabwise  for more details.