Around 1,200 unqualified driving instructors are giving lessons to learner drivers, according to the driving schools’ association VRB.

Driving instructors must be retested every five years, but many driving schools are in financial difficulties because of their growing number and cannot afford the €2,000 cost of the test, the organisation says.

As a result, instructors are giving lessons with an out-of-date or forged licence, the VRB told free paper Metro.

‘Learner drivers have no idea their instructor is unqualified and the police never check the licences,’ a VRB spokesman said.

The VRB is current discussing the problem with the environment ministry and the driving licence authority CBR.

There are approximately 9,000 driving instructors in the Netherlands. Learner drivers are not allowed to learn to drive with family or friends and must use a proper driving school.