1,200 backing driving test centre

More than 1,200 people have signed a petition calling for a driving test centre in Kidderminster to be retained and saved from closure.

Campaigners plan to formally hand over the petition to Mrs Rosemary Thew, chief executive of the Driving Standards Agency, based in Nottingham, on Monday.

Local driving instructors and campaigners are to visit the agency's headquarters.

The DSA has proposed the closure because it claims the Kidderminster centre is outdated and needs costly repairs.

Conservative Parliamentary spokesman Mark Garnier, councillor Julian Phil- lips and local driving instructor Glyn Ellis-Jones, who have spearheaded the campaign, hope to also hand in a written report predicting the consequences of the closure.

They claim there would be an overall increase of 214,760 hours of driving tuition needed for learners if driving tests switch to a centre at Lower Gornal.

It would lead to more carbon emissions and misery for people living in the Lower Gornal and Dudley area as more learner drivers converge on the area, they say.

Even the car park at Lower Gornal would not be suitable to enable 16 driving tests per hour, it is claimed.

The overall increase in costs for learners living in the Wyre Forest district would work out at £320, campaigners say.

Mr Ellis-Jones said: "The closure of the test centre will increase the cost of learning to drive because pupils will have to take time to drive around the centre where they will take their test to familiarise themselves with the area.

He said that millions of unnecessary extra miles would be driven by learners adding to the problem of carbon emissions.

Councillor Phillips added: "I would urged as many people as possible to go with us or attend a public meeting we plan to hold later in the day at 8.30pm at Kidderminster Rugby Club in Marlpool Lane."