A learner driver has been left feeling “crushed” after turning up for his driving test to find the examination centre closed.

Harry Rhodes arrived at the Oxford DVSA Driving Test Centre in Cowley on Wednesday (December 27) to find the gates locked after travelling from his home in Didcot.

After waiting for 30 minutes outside the test centre in James Wolfe Road, the 18-year-old was finally told his exam had been cancelled.

He said there were six other bemused learner drivers who turned up at the centre at the same time only to discover there were no staff on site.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said test candidates were not informed about the closure “due to circumstances beyond our control”.

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The government agency said all test centre candidates hit by the closure have had their exams rebooked for the next available date.

The unexpected closure comes at a difficult time for the Cowley test centre with the driving test backlog in Oxfordshire at a record high.

More than 5,000 learners are waiting to take their tests at the county’s centres – compared with just 370 in the month before the Covid pandemic - according to DVSA figures.

There is also an average wait of 20 weeks between booking and sitting a test in Oxfordshire compared with five weeks in February 2020.

The DVSA has rebooked Harry’s test for January 10, but the college student has still been left “gutted” by the last-minute cancellation.

He hoped passing his test would help get him a job placement and allow him to drive to Abingdon & Witney College instead of taking the bus.

“It just ruins all my plans,” he said. “It’s really inconsiderate. I’m not happy at all.

“I have no confidence that the next test will actually go ahead.

“It’s really affecting my life.”

Harry arrived for his afternoon test with his father Mark, 60.

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They waited for 30 minutes before being told by a driving instructor that the centre was closed.

Mr Rhodes said: “I couldn’t believe it.

“You got the feeling they just don’t care. To not even tell us and for everyone to just turn up to find it closed.”

A DVSA spokeswoman apologised for the “unexpected closure” but would not comment on why the centre had shut.

Oxford Mail: The test centre in Cowley The test centre in Cowley (Image: Google Maps)She said: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were not able to tell candidates about this closure in advance.

“We have now contacted all test candidates affected by the closure and re-booked their test for the next available date.

“All planned driving tests have resumed at the site today.”

Mr Rhodes claimed it was the second time Harry’s test had been cancelled at the last minute by the Cowley centre.

He claimed a previous test on December 6 was called off after the examiner told Harry “there was too much traffic”.