A huge backlog in driving tests caused by the pandemic is affecting more prospective drivers in Essex than almost any other county in Britain, according to new research.

Freedom of Information requests have found only three areas with a longer list than Essex when it comes to the number of drivers waiting to sit their practical test.

A total of 27,000 drivers are waiting to sit a test in London, with 8,487 in Greater Manchester, 4,850 in Kent and 4,445 in Essex.

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The analysis was carried out by learner driver insurers, Marmalade, which also established the average capacity for driving tests across the UK.

Marmalade’s chief executive officer Crispin Moger said it was the biggest ever backlog in the number of people waiting to sit their tests that the UK had seen.

He said: “Learner drivers have been consistently impacted as a result of the pandemic and the 2020/21 lockdowns.

“We have seen the biggest ever backlog in access to driving tests and for many this will have set them back quite considerably in their journey to getting on the road or perhaps even ended it for some.”

A full copy of the research conducted by Marmalde can be found here.