The village taken over by learner drivers: Residents in 'easiest place to get a licence' accuse novice motorists of making their lives hell
Learner drivers have flocked to the village of Miskin, Glamorgan, from far and wide after word spread of its relatively straightforward test route.
A tiny Welsh village has been 'taken over' by hundreds of learner drivers from across the country seeking to take their test in the 'easiest place' to get a licence in Britain.
Learner drivers have flocked to the village of Miskin, Glamorgan, from far and wide after word spread of its relatively straightforward test route.
However the influx of rookie motorists has turned the quaint Valleys village into an 'obstacle course' for residents.
Locals have described the 'hell' of constant learners practising parallel parking in front of their driveways and dawdling around the main roads.
Test bosses insist the pass rate at Llantrisant Test Centre is only slightly above the national average, but residents claim hundreds have made the journey to the village.
Another factor which has pulled some to take the test in the village is log-jams in the test booking systems in busier areas of the country.
In contrast, the Welsh test centre reportedly has a high number of available slots and only started issuing driving licences in 2018 after it was initially used just for lorry exams.
Retired engineer Selwyn Davies, 82, said rookie drivers regularly stop by his house to practise parallel parking
Overcrowded: Two learner drivers meet each other on a road in the quiet Welsh village
Learner drivers have flocked to the village of Miskin, Glamorgan, from far and wide after word spread of its relatively straightforward test route
Dudley Newbery, a 68-year-old TV chef who runs the village's only pub The Miskin Arms, said: 'People have been coming from England for tests since they moved the tests here.
'The roads have got a lot worse since. It's hell for people living here.
'The village is like an obstacle course. It needs to be monitored in some way.'
Selwyn Davies, 82, lives along the test route on School Road.
The retired engineer says learners stop across the road from his house to practise parallel parking, slowing traffic down and sparking dangerous driving from frustrated motorists.
He said: 'I would suggest there are about 20 lessons a day who call in here to do their reversing.
'It's difficult when we try to get in and out because it takes some time.
'You must be fair to the people that are doing tests but there's an inordinate amount of traffic that uses this road now.
'Because of the congestion on the A48, everyone cuts down this way to get to the (Miskin Interchange) roundabout.
'They race down here, ignoring the speed limits on the wrong side of the road because the learners are there.'
Residents have grown weary of being stuck behind rookie motorists around the village
Drivers have been enticed to the Welsh village due to its straightforward test route and availability of tests