If at first you don't succeed, the old proverb recommends relentless perseverance.

But one learner driver took "try, try, again" to the limit when she passed her test at the 24th attempt.

The unnamed 24-year-old woman secured her status as Britain's most persistent learner when she finally lost her L-plates in Wiltshire last year.

The woman was one of eight Britons who racked up at least 20 tests by the end of 2013, according to figures obtained from the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency.

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal ­Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "To some extent this data shows that the driving test is doing its job by failing people who are not yet ready to gain a full driving licence.

"It may be that repeated failures are down to not preparing well enough ahead of the test or it could be that they need more specific help on certain aspects of their driving.

"We'd advise these learners to consider why they are failing and discuss it with a driving instructor.

"For some people, taking a break rather than trying to take the test again immediately might help, particularly if they have got into a mental state of almost expecting to fail because they have failed several times already."

The takers of 20-plus tests - including one in Glasgow -all eventually passed.