A taxi protest brought rush hour traffic to a standstill in Ashton.
Black cabs and private hire vehicles blocked both lanes of Manchester Road near the police station.
The protest came as relations between taxi drivers and Tameside Council hit an ‘all time low,’ organisers said.
Drivers said there were a number of ‘long running, unresolved’ issues with the council’s licensing department.
Jon Vickerstaff, general secretary of Tameside Owners and Drivers Association, said the trade felt it had no option but to protest.
He said: “We are not happy with the service we are getting from the council.
“There are a number of disputes that have been ongoing for too long and the council don’t seem to want to work with us.
“We are not happy with the vehicle age policy, the test and badge fares, they have not responded to our Freedom of Information requests and they owe us refunds for fee increases.
“There are other drivers within the borough who are charging much higher tariffs and ripping off the public.
“We want all fares to be fair and transparent for the public. It protects them and it protects the drivers.”
Around 100 drivers of Hackney cabs and private hire vehicles took part in the protest during rush hour on Tuesday.
The drivers started in Clarence Street, through the town centre, before dispersing at Crickets Lane.
Onlookers said the protest ‘caused chaos’ for other road users.
Tony McGhee, 53, from Ashton, said: “It was horrendous. Both lanes were shut all the way passed the police station as you were coming into Ashton town centre.
“It stopped all traffic from moving around the roundabout near Bayley Street.
“It was completely gridlocked.”
Some commuters took to Twitter to vent their frustration.
One said: “Some kind of #taxi protest going on in #Ashton - roads blocked and noisy horns. Lovely.”
Another added: “What the hell is going on in Ashton -Taxi protest? #parkedup”.”
Some suggested the drivers were protesting against private hire firm Uber - which was recently given a licence in Tameside.
However Mr Vickerstaff said it concerned the council only.
A spokesman for Tameside Council was not available to comment.
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