A man has failed his driving test 14 times at an examination centre in Tolworth, according to figures revealed under the Freedom of Information Act.

The male driver has returned to the centre in Douglas Road more than a dozen times but still has not got the green light from examiners.

But the 28-year-old can take solace that he is not the worst driver to have taken a test at the centre.

A 66-year-old man still has his L plates after he failed his latest driving examination at Tolworth bringing his botched test rate at examinations centres across the country to a massive 21.

The number of test failures by the two men dwarfs the seven tests it took for Maureen Rees from TV show Driving School to pass.

The Welsh cleaner became a household name in Britain in the late 90s, but failed the test only seven times – including twice during the series.

Andrew Howard, head of road safety for the AA, said there were many reasons why a person could take a dozen attempts to pass their test.

He said: “I liken it to a sportsman out of form; you get more and more neurotic about making mistakes, so I can quite easily see how it happens.

“People may not be taking as many lessons and it becomes difficult to keep up with everything.

“Of course they could just be completely useless.”

Despite this embarrassing revelation men can still lay claim to be being better drivers locally as records show that chaps are more likely to pass first time than women.

Of the 32,708 driving test taken at Tolworth in the last seven years, 49 per cent of men passed first time compared to only 45 per cent of women.

And in figures likely to shock parents, it was also revealed that youngsters of both genders are more likely to pass their test first time.

Under 25s are 3 per cent more likely to pass first time than those above that age.

Alan Goodfellow runs Gold Driving School in Kingston.

He said: “I would not say men are better drivers than women in my experience but perhaps because they are gentler they end up being better drivers.

“I can tell you that younger people tend to be easier to teach than older people.

“They pick up things much more easily and are more willing to take on instructions.

“I have older people coming over from places like Russia and Korea taking lessons to convert over to an English license and they can drive but some of the habits they get into are very difficult to teach.”