DISGRUNTLED young drivers have inundated The Bolton News with complaints about high insurance premiums.

It comes after we highlighted the case of 18-year-old motorist Chris Berry, from Astley Bridge, who was quoted almost £18,000 to insure a 1996 Volkswagen Polo.

Dylan Taylor, aged 18, of Prestolee, recently passed his test and his cheapest quote was £4,023 by Quinn Direct for third party, fire and theft cover, on a 1.1-litre Peugeot 106.

His mother, Joanne Taylor, said: “There should be a scheme to enable young drivers to have affordable insurance for their first year, and let the onus be on them to prove that not every young driver is an accident waiting to happen.”

Another teenager struggling to insure his car is Michael Gregory. The 19-year-old, of Hengist Street, Tonge Fold, has been trying to insure his 2001 Peugeot 206 for a year and the cheapest quote he has been offered was more than £5,200.

His highest quote was more than £21,000 for his £700 car.

He said: “I was shocked. I’ve been on and off the phone trying to get insurance all year but I can’t get it at an affordable price.”

It is not only young drivers who are suffering.

Reader Carole Kay said she had her 27-year-old son as a named driver on her policy but was still surprised in this year’s rise.

She said: “I received my renewal at the end of April with nine years no claims bonus, only to find that it has gone up from £698 to £1,880 — a hike of 170 per cent.”

A recent study by insurance company Provisional Marmalade carried out a survey of 3,500 young motorists and found 93 per cent of them believe that they are being priced off the road.

The Department for Transport says it has considered several options that have been devised by motoring authorities, including a greater focus on road safety on the school curriculum.

Road safety minister Mike Penning said: “We know the cost of insurance is a problem for young drivers.

“That is why we are making changes to the driving test and introducing a new Pass Plus qualification to help improve the skills and knowledge of young drivers so that insurers then have the confidence to offer them lower premiums.”