LEARNER drivers in Worcester are struggling to find available appointments as a backlog hits city test centres.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) booking system has been inundated with people trying to book their driving tests ever since it reopened after lockdown in April last year.

Worcester News readers shared their frustrations, with some unable to book a driving test until next year.

Matthew Palmer wrote: "It took me a year because of the backlog.

"I started in October 2020 and didn't get a test in until September 2021.

"Plus a four-month shutdown between then and the raging backlog. It was just mad."

Another reader, Bridget Moore, said she had tried to book a test for May and been told there were none available for the rest of the year.

Reader Wayne Rogers said the backlog was being caused by drivers booking tests while not ready, causing hold-ups when they then re-book tests after they fail.

He wrote: "It's going to be like this for years. Unfortunately, students that are not ready for tests are still booking them, can't get instructors to take them and rightly so, resulting in students not turning up to tests."

According to the website Driving Test Cancellations 4 All, which checks the DVSA website thousands of times a day for tests, learner drivers are having to wait weeks to book a driving test across the UK.

The latest figures reveal the waiting time in Worcester is 20 weeks.

To cope with the backlog, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Association (DVSA) has introduced new rules to increase the amount of time between tests if learners fail.

Learner drivers who fail their driving test will now have to wait 28 days to retake it, rather than the previous 10 days.

It has been extended to make learners ‘think twice’ before rushing to retake their test without being prepared.

Mark Winn, chief driving examiner for DVSA, said: "With nearly half of all learners still failing their first car driving test, it is clear we need to do more to make sure learner drivers only take their test when they are fully prepared.

"These measures will help make sure learners who are test-ready can find appointments and give those who fail more time to get additional practice."