MOT Northern Ireland 2023: No appointments available until November, says MLA - PSNI issue guidance to motorists on staying street legal

“The MOT backlog has been no surprise to anyone,” Mr Stewart said.

The problems began, he said, in January 2020 after lift faults were discovered in 48 out of 55 test centres.

This was followed by the closure of MOT centres during the pandemic, going from almost one million tests in 2019/20 to under 200,000 the year after.

But despite a record number of tests from September 2022 to February 2023, there are still “extensive delays”.

“The backlog is now resulting in some drivers facing untaxed vehicle fines from being unable to tax their vehicles due to not having an MOT test carried out,” he added.

He called for the reintroduction of a Temporary Exemption Certificate, which was used at the height of the pandemic.

The PSNI said they would be understanding with responsible drivers in such circumstances.

Roads Policing Superintendent Gary Busch said: “DVA will make every effort to secure a MOT test date for any motorist whose MOT is due to expire.

“In the event police encounter a vehicle with no current MOT, so long as we can ascertain that a vehicle is roadworthy, has a forthcoming MOT test date and is not SORNed, then police will not take any further action. Every driver has a responsibility to ensure their vehicle is roadworthy.”

A spokeswoman from the Department for Infrastructure confirmed that police would take no action in such circumstances. Anyone who has already booked an appointment can check regularly for earlier slots, which are released daily and can be booked via NI Direct, she said.

If someone who has booked an appointment gets to within five days of the expiry date of their certificate they should contact [email protected], who will do their best to get an urgent appointment for the vehicle.

The DVA is now exceeding pre-Covid MOT test levels, conducting over 1.15 million in 2022/23, the highest number ever recorded in a year, she added.