A driving test centre has closed its doors.

After over 40 years in the same building, Nelson Driving test centre announced it would close on Saturday before relocating to a new address. 

The building in Cobden Street was branded unsuitable and out of date by the Driving Vehicle Standards Authority (DVSA) back in 2016.

The new centre, which will be located at unit 103-105 Pendle Business Centre on Commercial Road in Nelson, was chosen to offer improved facilities for learners and their instructors. 

Bosses at the DVSA submitted plans to convert offices 103,104 and 105 at the business centre into a new testing centre in 2017.

The plans to find a new location for the test centre were made clear after the DVSA said facilities were starting to go downhill.

In a letter to Andrew Stephenson, the DVSA said: “The examiners office is now starting to deteriorate and the internal walls are cracking.

"The female toilets are often out of order.

"There are only three parking bays for candidates and with an increase of number of examiners we now require at least six bays."

The new centre is located just two streets away from the old one, meaning the current test routes look set to stay the same.

New figures recently revealed that Nelson test centre recorded a pass rate of 53.7 per cent, making it the best centre for taking a practical driving test in East Lancashire. 

The Nelson test centre saw 3,103 drivers pass out of 5,780, a pass percentage increase from 46.7 per cent the previous year, and 45.5 per cent in 2014/2015.