A victim of the scandal of delayed driving licences has missed out on job opportunities and has been unable to drive his car for a year.

But Gareth Atkins, from Higham, has now been told his licence is on the way after KentOnline contacted the DVLA about the delays - 14 months after he first applied.

Gareth says his battery has now gone flat because he cannot drive his car

According to the government website, it should take just one week for your licence to arrive. Gareth submitted his application in February 2021.

The DVLA says it may take longer if it needs to make additional checks but Gareth says he has been given "back-tracking" statements from the driving agency.

The delay has stopped him starting driving lessons. In the meantime, he's been unable to apply for some jobs because the complication and cost of getting to and fro on public transport is simply too much, or the last bus home leaves before his shift finishes.

He was told last July the DVLA had received all the information required and would be reviewing his application.

But in October he was told the form was now with the medical team due to an eye condition known as nystagmus which affects the muscles. He had treatment for this when he was younger and said it has corrected itself.

Gareth, of Copperfield Crescent, Higham said: "Why has it taken a year when I have been told by doctors since I was three years old that there would be no problems with me driving?

"They are using a medical condition that has not been affecting my life. It is an excuse.

"I have now just given up. It limits the jobs I can apply for – it has turned my life upside down.

"It is annoying. I have a car sitting on the driveway that I cannot drive.

"It has been ridiculous and has become very frustrating. I just have aspirations of being free."

Gareth has been able to track his application online and it was still showing up as in process more than a year after he originally sent it off.

He added: "It has made it so much harder to keep up with the studying [for the theory test] and get the driving practice in.

"Some driving schools are completely a no-go if you do not have the physical licence – they say you are not going anywhere.

"I have been using public transport but it is becoming more expensive. It limits the amount of work I can do when looking further afield.

"I cannot even look in Meopham or Sevenoaks because the public transport is not reliable. The buses are frequently cancelled."

Gareth has been working in the catering industry for the past few years but says not driving makes it difficult to get home when finishing late at night.

"I was working in The George at Meopham and the late bus would be at 8-9pm which would not be late enough for when I finish," he added.

"It was difficult when I was working elsewhere too when I would not get home until midnight. If I had a car I could have got home at least two hours earlier."

Gareth's car – passed down from his sister – has been out of action for so long the battery is flat, and he lost the money on a bulk-booking of lessons made for his birthday last year.

But there was some good news for Gareth yesterday – after we contacted the DVLA about our story, the agency called him and said his provisional licence was on its way.

Last week, KentOnline spoke to Ella Saward-Hutton, from Gravesend, who had waited for more than a year for a medical driving licence to be renewed despite sending off all the paperwork.

She has since been contacted by the DVLA to fill out the health form again as the application had expired.

And it is not just people in Gravesham who have been affected but across the county as well.

Gordon Henderson, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, said: "I have had a number of complaints about the DVLA which I have raised with ministers, most recently last week to the Roads Minister, Baroness Vere, who has promised to look into my concerns."

Kelly Tolhurst MP for Rochester and Strood has also received a "large number of complaints" about DVLA delays including provisional applications, renewals and processing medical assessment information.

She added: "I have been advised that there are a number of reasons for the delays – this has included the restrictions of the pandemic in Wales (the DVLA is based in Swansea, and so Covid restrictions were different from those in England), staff sickness, and awaiting paperwork from relevant medical agencies.

"I am continuing to assist all constituents with issues about the DVLA and am also raising these long delays with colleagues in Department for Transport who are fully aware of the situation."

KentOnline has also been contacted by people from across the country including Birmingham, Exeter, Torquay, Milton Keynes and Nottingham who have been experiencing similar issues to Ella and Gareth.

Although not speaking on a specific case, a DVLA spokesman said: "When considering an application to issue a driving licence we aim to make a decision as quickly as possible. However more complex transactions, for example if medical investigations are needed, will take longer.

"Where we require additional information from a driver’s doctor or need the driver to take an assessment we are wholly reliant on receiving this information before a decision can be made."

There was an increase in the number of licence applications awaiting processing at the DVLA due to industrial action by union members in the department during August 2021.

In addition, DVLA medical checks have been pushed down the priority list by NHS professionals since the earlier stages of the pandemic and again in January to support the Covid-19 booster vaccination programme.

The department claims there are no delays with the online service which has been working as normal throughout the pandemic.

The agency says it has also recruited more staff, increased overtime and opened new customer service centres in Swansea and Birmingham to help reduce waiting times for customers and are issuing around 200,000 driving licences each week.