TODAY the Bolton Evening News can reveal just how easy it is to cheat to pass your written driving test in Bolton.

Local driving instructors claim poor identity checks have allowed lots of learners to get someone else to take the tough exam on their behalf.

So we put their theories to the test - with alarming results.

Learner Sarah Openshaw, 18, marched into her exam in Bolton armed with a home-made ID certificate - a form of identity permitted by the Driving Standards Agency.

The idea is that a respected public figure - like a driving instructor, JP or doctor - signs a typed statement and photograph confirming the candidate's identity. But Sarah's certificate and picture were signed by a fictitious driving school and instructor.

The fake was given the green light after a quick glance from an invigilator. No checks were made and the ID was returned to Sarah.

In theory, a friend could have used her certificate with a different photograph and sat the exam under her name.

Now the DSA, which organises written tests throughout the country, has promised a full investigation amid claims from Bolton driving instructors that the problem is rife.

Halliwell instructor Dave Thomas, organiser of an association representing 70 local instructors, said he'd been offered cash to sign a fake certificate so someone could take a test for a friend.

"Sarah's case is our first real proof, but we reckon it's just the tip of the iceberg," he said. "We've no evidence about how many people have cheated, but a lot of learners in Bolton think the test is too difficult to pass and it's so easy to get someone more confident to take the exam. The ID checks are poor and the rules must be tightened."

Student Sarah, of Seymour Road, Halliwell, Bolton, who had her passport handy just in case she was rumbled, said: "The invigilator took a quick glance at the certificate, handed it back and told me my seat number. I couldn't believe it."

Now the DSA is to contact Bolton's test centre in Churchgate about the BEN's revelations.

Spokesman Kevin Thomas said: "This is the first time we've heard of this happening anywhere, but it is something we would view extremely seriously. It's a criminal offence to get someone else to take your test and it's also a danger to the public because it allows unqualified people on the road."

The DSA made photographic ID compulsory last year for both written and driving tests in a bid to combat impersonations.

Approved documents include passports, photo-bearing credit cards and trade union memberships.

But if no other ID is available, the DSA permits the typed certificate and signed picture.

A provisional licence, which has no photograph, also has to be produced so test officials can check the candidate's signature.

But Sarah said her invigilator didn't even look as she signed a sheet to confirm her attendance at her exam on Wednesday.

Instructor Dave Thomas, who now plans to meet DSA officials, added: "It's easy to forge a signature and the checks are so poor that people can get away with it every time."

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