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The Driver Vehicle Agency has suspended all MOT testing for cars and light vehicles following further inspections of lift faults in MOT centres.
The DVA is currently working to urgently contact all owners of taxis and four year old cars to book them for MOT tests in the coming days.
Priority is being given to those with MOTs that have expired or expire today, so motorists can tax their vehicles.
Heavy goods vehicles and buses will continue to be processed, while opening hours will be extended to increase capacity to facilitate the prioritisation of four year old vehicles and taxis with imminent expiry dates.
The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) said inspections of lift faults in test centres did not provide “sufficient assurance” on the effectiveness of ongoing repairs.
An inspection of all vehicle lifts in NI’s MoT centres previously detected “signs of cracking” in 48 of 55 lifts.
Car owners whose appointments have been cancelled by the DVA will be issued automatically with an MOT exemption certificate extending their MOT for four month.
They can therefore continue to drive however, customers are advised to make their insurance company aware.
The DVA advised that the exemption certificate will allow customers to tax their vehicles as normal.
The exemption will be recorded in the DVA system and this work is being done urgently so it is on the system and owners can tax their vehicles.
A hard copy exemption certificate will arrive by post in the coming days.