High Wycombe driving test centre has told it must close on April 29 - just one year after it was given a reprieve. 

An email has been sent out to the hundreds of people who have had their tests booked at the new Lancaster Road centre, saying it will close after April 29 because the landlords have "recently served notice to the DVSA". 

There was outrage in 2020 when the driving test centre, which was in Wellington Road, was going to be shut down because the Driving Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said running it was “not a good use of public money”.

This prompted outrage from local driving instructors, the thousands of young people learning to drive in the town and Wycombe MP Steve Baker, who all said it was vitally important the town had a test centre.

After a huge campaign, press coverage and even a mention in the House of Commons, the DVSA reconsidered their plans to remove a test centre from the town completely, instead asking local instructors to find an alternative cheaper site.

ALSO READ FROM LAST YEAR'S FIGHT: 

The Save Wycombe Driving Test Centre campaign group did exactly that – finding a smaller venue in Cliveden Office Village in Lancaster Road.

And the centre has been working from the Cliveden Office Village ever since - but instructors and those hoping to pass their tests in the town have been dealt another huge blow - as they have been told this new centre is shutting after April 29. 

Driving instructor Adam Iliffe, who was heavily involved in trying to save the centre last time, said everyone has only been given one week's notice of the closure this time. 

He said all driving tests that were booked at High Wycombe will be moved to Slough, 18 miles away.

The news has infuriated young people, instructors and parents. 

One person told the Bucks Free Press: "We booked our driving test back in December for end of May (earliest we could get) and it’s now been cancelled with four weeks' notice.

"So frustrating for 17/18 year olds who have been so severely impacted over the last few years around GCSEs, A-levels and now this."

A DVSA spokesman said “Unfortunately, we have been served notice by our landlords at the High Wycombe driving test centre. This means testing at the centre will need to cease by the end of April 2022. 

“Our priority is to contact affected candidates and ensure their test is moved to the nearby centre in Slough. We will also keep local instructors updated of the situation. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. The Transport Secretary has asked DVSA to provide further advice on finding a replacement site.”

Wycombe MP Steve Baker says he has been in touch with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps about the closure, adding that he has been "most helpful".