Motorists who submit paper applications to renew their driving licence continue to face lengthy delays.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has apologised for the disruption, with it likely to take six to 10 weeks to process.
In an update on their website, they explain they're operating with reduced staff due to industrial action linked to Covid safety fears, reports the Mirror.
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"We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused but we are working as quickly as we can to deal with your application," DVLA said.
"We receive around 60,000 items of mail every day that needs to be opened and processed."
The agency is currently checking documents submitted on June 9 for those looking to renew a driving licence with a new photo.
While documents date back to July 6 for those who have applied for a first provisional driving licence with UK identity.
Applications for motorists applying to change their name or address on their driving licence that date back to June 9 are also now being processed.
However the DVLA says there are no delays for those looking to renew their driving licence online and is urging customers to use this service instead where possible.
Most motorists waiting for their applications to be processed are still allowed to drive.
"If your application has been sent to DVLA, you may be able to continue to drive while we are processing your application," a statement added.
But there are certain situations where you can’t, including if your doctor says you can’t drive and if the DVLA hasn’t received your application within the last 12 months.
It is reported up to 1.4 million applications are affected by the backlog.
A DVLA spokesperson said: “Our online services have not been impacted by the pandemic and continue to run as normal and without any delays.
“There are delays in processing paper applications due to ongoing industrial action and social distancing requirements, which means that we have had fewer staff than usual on site at any one time.
“Paper applications are taking on average, between six and ten weeks to process but there may be longer delays for more complex transactions such as those that require medical investigations.“
More information on the DVLA website can be found here.
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