A record proportion of people passed their driving test in Hexham during the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show – although far fewer tests took place amid a year of restrictions.

Quieter roads and “incredibly motivated” key workers taking their tests are thought to be behind the rate also hitting a record high across Great Britain in 2020-21.

At Hexham Test Centre, 145 out of 215 people passed on the first attempt in 2020-21 – 67%.

That was above the national average of 51%.

However, the latest figures will do little to comfort the thousands of people nationally who had their tests cancelled due to Covid restrictions.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency data shows that of 321 practical tests at Hexham Test Centre in 2020-21, 217 ended in success – a pass rate of 68%.

That was up from 61% the previous year, and the highest rate since comparable records began in 2007-08.

However, far fewer tests were undertaken at Hexham Test Centre over the latest period due to Covid-19 restrictions, which saw only key workers permitted to take tests during the enforced lockdowns.

In total, there were 321 driving tests in 2020-21 – compared to 935 in 2019-20 – with 542 cancelled due to the pandemic.

Across Great Britain a record 50% of tests in 2020-21 resulted in a pass, with the figure even reaching 59% between January and March this year.

Meanwhile, the number of tests dropped to 437,000 in 2020-21, from 1.6 million the previous year.

Robert Cowell, interim managing director of AA Driving School, said: “The slight increase in the driving test pass rate for the first quarter of this year could be down to a number of things including quieter roads during tests.

“In addition, during lockdowns, tests were only allowed for key workers who needed to drive for their job, this probably also goes some way to explaining the higher pass rate as the candidates would have been incredibly motivated to pass.”