Alliance MLA and Party Infrastructure Spokesperson Andrew Muir has raised concerns the numbers trying to book an MOT when the system opens later this month could cause the system to overload and fail alongside concerns that insufficient slots will be available, leaving motorists unable to legally drive their car.

Speaking after he addressed the issue directly with the Infrastructure Minister, Mr Muir said the worst case scenario would see a large number of people trying and failing to book a vital MOT.

He added: “It was absolutely right that the Minister suspended MOTs when she did due to the pandemic on the back of the lift failures debacle, but now we are in a situation where high volumes of people will be using a system seeking limited number of slots before their MOT expires.

“It is essential adequate preparations are put in place to deal with this situation, and soon, before we hit October 12, vehicle tests are available for all and the system simply can’t cope.

“Motorists can in the meantime check when their MOT is due to expire by visiting https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-status”