VEHICLE owners will be granted a six-month exemption from MOT testing, the Department for Transport has announced.

This will enable them to continue to travel to work and shop for necessities.

All cars, vans and motorcycles which usually would require an MOT test will be exempted from needing one from Monday, March 30.

Vehicles however must be kept in a roadworthy condition, and garages will remain open for essential repair work.

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Drivers can be prosecuted if driving unsafe vehicles.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "We must ensure those on the frontline of helping the nation combat Covid-19 are able to do so.

"Allowing this temporary exemption from vehicle testing will enable vital services such as deliveries to continue, frontline workers to get to work, and people get essential food and medicine.

"Safety is key, which is why garages will remain open for essential repair work."

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Drivers will still need to get their vehicle tested until the new regulations come into place.

If you can’t get an MOT that’s due because you’re in self-isolation, the Department for Transport is working with insurers and the police to ensure people aren’t unfairly penalised for things out of their control.

Meanwhile, practical driving tests and annual testing for lorries, buses and coaches have been suspended for up to three months.