A Bradford driving test centre has the lowest percentage pass rate in England, it has been revealed.

And a leading driving instructor has claimed that candidates taking their tests at certain times of day in the certain parts of the city were “bound to fail” due to poor parking by other motorists at junctions.

The test centre in Farfield Street, Heaton, had only 30.1 per cent of learners pass their practical test between April and August last year, compared to a national average of 47.2 per cent, Driving Standards Agency statistics show.

The figure is second worst in the UK to the centre in Girvan, South Ayrshire, Scotland, where only 25.9 per cent passed their tests in the same period.

At Bradford’s other test centre in Thornbury, only 35 per cent achieved a pass.

A combination of factors are to blame, according to the Bradford Association of Driving Instructors.

But the association’s vice-chairman, Jagdish Gondalia, said: “Certain routes are such, at particular times, that even a good driver has difficulty getting out of a junction because cars are parked so close to corners, they are bound to fail at those times.

“I could take a pupil to another test centre in another area and they would pass.”

He said he wanted the Council to tackle the parking issues but “nothing has been done”.

He said he thought the test route in Thornbury was “difficult”, with a large roundabout and multi-laned junctions for learners to contend with.

Association secretary Abdul Rehman said parking in areas including Daisy Hill Lane, Duckworth Lane and Smith Lane was “so terrible that even an experienced driver will have problems coping”.

He said congestion experienced along the Heaton test route was also to blame for the high failure rate, as well as poor preparation by some candidates.

“Parked cars, inconsiderate road users – new drivers are not prepared for these circumstances,” he said.

“There are so many people on the roads parking their cars in such a way as to cause havoc.”

  • Read the full story in Saturday's Telegraph & Argus.