A MIX-up by the DVLA almost cost a man his dream driving holiday in New Zealand after his records were confused with someone of the same name.

John Edwards, 65, from Stamford Bridge, is due to fly out to New Zealand in two weeks to visit his brother, and he had hoped to combine the trip with a tour of the country by car.

However, upon discovering his driving licence was due to expire he tried to apply for a new photo licence over the internet but found the system had no record of his current address, despite it appearing clearly on his paper licence.

He said: “They won’t tell me anything about the address they do have on their records because of data protection. I have given them all the possible addresses it could be going back to when I was 17 years old.”

Only when Mr Edwards’ MP, Greg Knight, stepped in was it discovered that the DVLA had mixed up Mr Edwards’ details with that of someone with the same surname and birthday. The new licence is now being fast-tracked.

A spokesman for DVLA said: “The vast majority of drivers who use the digital service do so without any problems, but we are sorry for the inconvenience caused in this case.”