Many people go through hell trying to pass their driving test, and don’t always succeed, like the 54.3 per cent of St Albans candidates who failed their driving test between April and December 2016.

Some candidates find it so hellish they turn to people like Adam Abeiyi and Tendiyi Mawere, who have been jailed by St Albans crown court for driving test fraud.

On Friday, June 9, Abeiyi was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, and Mawere to 12 months, after they impersonated candidates at centres across the Home Counties.

Mawere was picked up after the authorities noticed a booking at Watford theory test centre using a credit card which had been used for several other tests.

On his arrival, Mawere was arrested on suspicion of fraud. Abeiyi was arrested at Mill Hill when he attempted to take a practical test.

The two led the police to 14 candidates, who were arrested and sentenced to between eight and 12 weeks in prison.

Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency’s head of counter-fraud, Andy Rice, said: “Our priority is to protect people from unsafe drivers and vehicles and these sentences send out a clear message to those who want to defraud the driving test process.

“The driving test is there to ensure that all drivers have the skills and knowledge to use the roads safely and responsibly. Anyone who tries to circumvent this process is putting innocent road users at risk.

“Driving test fraud is a serious offence and is dealt with accordingly. We have stringent measures in place to detect fraudulent activity and work closely with the police to bring all offenders to justice.”

The Car People last week released data showing only 45.7 per cent of St Albans candidates between April and December 2016 passed their test.

Of those who passed, 47 per cent were men, and 44 per cent were women.

Over the eight months, 3,347 of the 6,169 who took the test failed, meaning £207,514 was spent on failed tests.