A NOVICE biker says she was left in disbelief after being abandoned by her motorcycle examiner before the end of her test.

22-year-old biker Anastasia Prest, of Coxhoe, was taking her motorcycle test from the Darlington centre on Yarm Road.

Miss Prest says she was nearing the end of the test when she took the third exit off the roundabout at the top of Yarm Road.

Her instructor told her via the radio communication system that she had taken the wrong exit, asked her to perform a U-turn and take the second exit instead.

The Northern Echo: DISBELIEF: Anastasia Prest

Miss Prest followed his instructions and expected to see her examiner waiting by the side of the road.

However, he was nowhere to be seen so she was left to ride the 2km back to the test centre alone, where she found the examiner waiting.

She has since slammed the instructor’s behaviour, saying it was “unprofessional and dangerous” to leave an unqualified biker on the road alone on a 500cc machine.

She said: “I couldn’t believe that he had just left me.

“Being on a big bike on my own in an area I don’t really know, anything could have happened.

“If I’d had an accident I’m sure any insurance would be void because the instructor wasn’t with me.”

Miss Prest was failed because she apparently did not signal at the problem roundabout.

The Darlington test centre referred The Northern Echo to a spokesman for the Driving Standards Agency who said: “The candidate took a wrong turn at a busy roundabout and it was not safe for the examiner to follow them.

“The candidate was instructed by the examiner to do a U-turn at the next junction and was given directions to return to the test centre.

“The examiner remained in radio contact with the candidate throughout.”