Scilly Drivers Face Tougher Tests

Drivers in the Isles of Scilly face putting their vehicles through an MoT after local police called for tougher testing.

Twice-yearly checks are carried out by vehicle examiners and police, but MoT testing has never been in place for the Islands’ 800 cars, lorries and buses.

And many unroadworthy vehicles escape scrutiny because drivers put their vehicles out of sight, said Islands’ Pc Steve Gardner.

“The jungle drums start and a lot of unroadworthy vehicles are taken off the road and hidden away,” PC Gardner told bbc.co.uk.

He said six of the last batch of 20 vehicles tested failed the safety scrutiny and although dangerous vehicles were taken off the road immediately, new cars are appearing on the Islands.

‘Informal discussions are now under way about the options for improving the standards of vehicles, said PC Gardner. “We would welcome an MoT, or some kind of compulsory test for island vehicles.”