SPY cameras are to be fitted in taxis and private hire cars in a bid to protect drivers from violent attacks.

The pilot scheme will record hi-tech digital footage inside and outside cars for the first time.

It follows growing concern for the safety of drivers amid reports of physical assaults, robberies and threats.

Two major firms in East Renfrewshire have agreed to trial the technology with a view to installing the cameras in all of the area's 546 cars.

The crystal clear footage is recorded directly on to a memory card, which can store up to eight hours of images.

Two cars, operated by Eastwood/Mearns Taxis and Mearns Cars, will initially use the cameras over Christmas and New Year.

Passengers will be made aware of the cameras when they enter the cars, and the vehicles will also display a warning notice.

Alan Strong, from car audio store Motorsound Glasgow, which supplied the cameras, said: "The images are excellent and the cameras also record sound.

"As well as the security aspect, the fact that they record outside the vehicle could prove invaluable in the event of a crash.

"The technology is improving all the time and it offers peace of mind to drivers and passengers."

Councillor Elaine Green, chairwoman of East Renfrewshire's licensing committee, said: "I have spoken to both drivers and seen the systems in action.

"We will look at the results and, if we're satisfied, there's no reason why the system could not be extended."

Last month, the Evening Times told how a private hire driver had a blade held to his throat after a gang threatened to torch his car.

The 38-year-old was robbed by four youths at knifepoint after he picked them up from a house party in Milton at the end of a 14-hour shift.

They fled with £200 in cash after threatening to set the car on fire.

We also told earlier this month how a 60-year-old taxi driver was taking a fare from Nitshill to Uddingston when he was bitten by a drug addict last year.

He spent six months living with the fear he could have been infected with HIV/AIDS and watched as four attempts to bring the case to court failed - even though the woman who attacked him confessed.

A recent survey, carried out by the Scottish Government, found one in three taxi drivers has been assaulted at work.