Failsworth is the toughest place in Greater Manchester to pass your driving test – but head to Hyde and the chance of getting your licence goes up by 16 per cent.

New figures from the Driving Standards Agency have revealed a great divide in the region’s test centres.

They show that aptly-named Failsworth suffers from the worst pass rates, with just 39.2 per cent of drivers leaving with a licence.

While in Hyde, 55.9 per cent of attempts end in triumph – well above the Greater Manchester average pass rate of 45.7 per cent.

And if you drive just 25 miles to the countryside of the Peak District in Buxton, you improve your chances by more than a third, with an average of 61.4 per cent passing.

Kate Emmott, 24, who works for a travel agent, failed last month in Failsworth. She is now planning to sit it at another test centre.

Kate, from Chadderton, said: “I got a major fault for not driving in a bus lane. It was coming up to 10am and I was worried about it. I think I had a really strict tester to be honest.

“The statistics don’t surprise me at all. I know quite a few people who have failed there.

“Next time I’m going to book my test somewhere else.”

A Driving Standards Agency spokesman said: “Pass rates can be influenced by various factors. Some people may take more lessons and be better prepared for the test. Statistical factors can also play a part as the number of tests conducted at different test centres varies significantly.

“However, every driving test is conducted to the same strict requirements. We train examiners to a high standard and closely monitor their work to ensure that all tests are assessed consistently across the country.”

There was a huge variation in pass rates across the country. The best was in Barra, Scotland, with 82.61 per cent. London’s Belvedere was the worst with a pass rate of just 32.2 per cent.

I flunked three times in Failsworth... passed first time in Hyde

Emily Bleackley, 18, failed her test FOUR times at Failsworth – before passing it in Hyde just weeks later.

The teenager, from Ashton-under-Lyne, took all five tests within seven months of each other.

But she found the experience much harder in Failsworth.

She said: “My first four tests were absolutely horrendous. I think the first time I may have taken it too early but after that I believe the reasons were unfair.”

She says her second fail last December was for ‘getting lost’, while her third attempt was scuppered when she slowed down to let a car pass. Her fourth attempt was down to bad ‘filtering’ with other traffic, she says.

She added: “The statistics don’t surprise me at all. When he told me I’d failed on the last attempt he was smirking.

“And on one occasion the examiner looked at my hands and said ‘why are you wearing those ridiculous nails?’, which just put me off completely.”

She said her instructor could not understand her fails either.

“She said she couldn’t believe I’d failed because my driving was completely up to standard. I was in tears after my tests at Failsworth."

But her despair turned to joy when she switched test centres and passed in Hyde in March this year.

She said: “I was so happy when I passed in Hyde I started crying. But I do think it’s down to the test centre – a lot of my friends have experienced the same problems at Failsworth.”

Emily’s mum Amanda, 44, a nursery nurse, added: “I’m glad these statistics have been brought to light.

“I think it’s definitely worth knowing how hard it is to pass in Failsworth.”

A Driving Standards Agency spokesman said: “Examiners are trained to a very high standard and are quality assured on a regular basis. We aim to provide excellent customer service for all driving test candidates and expect examiners to be courteous and professional at all times.

“If customers aren’t happy with the service they have received we ask them to contact us using our published complaints procedure. We take all complaints extremely seriously.”