Reports indicate that following the closure of the Birmingham test site, a BP tanker had to travel to Liverpool while fully laden with fuel, as required by the test, adding another 100 miles to the trip in already congested traffic.

But the union maintains that there was no rationale for Birmingham’s closure given that the test station site is on a 30-year lease from Birmingham City Council which can't be relinquished and that, even after closure, still costs VOSA £50k per annum.

Rather than privatisation by the back door, VOSA members are calling for a better located, modern, network of VOSA test stations, supplemented by private sector sites.

This, they argue, would give industry the choice on where to have their vehicles tested together with the security that, come what may, statutory tests can be undertaken at relatively local sites. Read more about the campaign here.