Dozens of driving tests were cancelled in Somerset yesterday after examiners staged a strike following a row over working hours.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union walked out yesterday and were due to stage a second strike today.

The union represents 1,600 Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) staff at 350 sites across the UK, including driving examiners and officers who carry out vehicle and traffic safety checks.

The union says it wants the agency to stop a plan to extend the working day and increase the number of driving tests that examiners would carry out, saying it would not be possible to conduct all tests in daylight hours through winter

91 per cent voted for strikes, with a 65 per cent turnout.

Mark Serwotka, general secretary for the Public and Commercial Services union, said: "This is about road safety and examiners are furious that the DVSA is pressing ahead without properly negotiating with us or fully understanding the likely consequences of its actions."

DVSA chief executive Paul Satoor said: “Staff signed up to a new standard employment contract in April 2014 in exchange for a lump-sum payment and a three year pay deal.

"This was agreed with the trade unions, and included transitional payments which came to an end on November 1, 2015.

“We have also recently offered operational staff a number of flexible working options to enable us to provide more convenient and flexible services to our customers.

"It is disappointing that the trade unions have now chosen to oppose some aspects of the contract and the more flexible working options.”