Wellingborough driving test centre set to shut

The Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has been told it must vacate the test centre at Halfords in Whitworth Way by July this year.

Driving tests in the town currently take place two days a week, and Acclaim driving instructor Phil Critchell says the closure could cause a strain on test centres in Kettering and Northampton.

He said: “There is a popular demand in Wellingborough and you have to wait about 16 weeks for a test there.

“I don’t think it is going to affect me too much but will it put extra strain on the other test centres? I think it will, yes.

“In Kettering the waiting time is about seven to eight weeks but this could put that back a bit.

“In an ideal world every town would have a test centre but that isn’t going to happen.”

With no replacement site yet in place the future of driving tests in Wellingborough is up in the air.

DVSA head of operations Phil Lloyd says they are committed to providing testing in Wellingborough.

“DVSA has been given notice by Halfords and needs to vacate the test centre at Wellingborough from July 2016.

“We are committed to providing testing in the Wellingborough area and are working to secure a replacement site.

“We will announce details of the new site as soon as we’re able to.”

A spokesman for Halford said: “We are always looking at ways to improve our shops for customers.

“For two years, we have hosted a DVSA test centre at our Wellingborough shop and we’ve now made the decision to end this pilot scheme.”