THE New Southgate driving test centre has one of the highest failure rates in the country, according to figures from the government's Driving Standards Agency.

A report shows only 34.66 per cent of learners pass their test first time in New Southgate compared with 79 per cent in some other parts of England and Wales.

A DSA spokesman said: "It depends upon how well people are prepared when they come to take their test. There is a higher failure rate in areas where people have less spending power.

"Therefore we have a problem in urban areas like New Southgate where you have a larger number of unemployed.

"In these high-fail areas, people tend to take fewer lessons to save money."

He also said the recent introduction of university tuition fees could mean teenagers having less money to spend on driving lessons.

But a local driving instructor claimed the table did not give an accurate picture.

He blamed a lack of preparation for the theory test as a major reason behind the poor pass rate.

The agency is to conduct another review to find out why just over a third of all learner drivers fail the test.

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