UK motorists face E300 an hour garage bills

Motorists in the UK face the prospect of forking out E300 an hour for garage repairs in the near future because of a shortage of qualified mechanics.

Shocking figures have emerged, which show that UK motorists could have to fork out as much as E300 an hour to have their cars fixed at franchise dealers because of the dearth of qualified mechanics.

However, Irish motorists are unlikely to be hit with similar punitive charges, according to the Automobile Association. Public affairs spokesman Conor Faughnan says an influx of qualified mechanics from the accession states has eased shortages here.

“We did have a shortage of skilled mechanics about five years ago, but that has changed, because of the free movement of labour within the EU,” he commented.