So I sit there for an hour , and the MOT tester hands the keys back to the receptionist and tells her to tell the customer ( he hadn't seen me ) that he has had to abandon the MOT due to safety reasons as he was unable to safely lift the vehicle wheels off the ramp to conduct the various checks around the suspension ! Seems he had trouble with the jack that runs across the ramp being able to lift the car sufficiently to get the wheels up.

Any one else ever had this ?

Surely they would have known this when they booked it in.

Had one a few year back where the MOT finished and the guy came in to give me my keys. Before he got there VOSA walked in and said they wanted to do a random MOT test on my car. Passed with no minors, just as the garage had done

The mot tester appears to have had insufficient spacer blocks for the jack to be able lift the car high enough. Not uncommon problem with these cars given the drop on the wheels when the car is lifted.
Had my car lifted on the jack once and the tester was unable to get the car off again for a similar problem. We had to use a transmission jack to hold the car up whilst the ramp was lowered and the blocks removed to then allow the wheels back onto the ramp.

My MOT station has an array of hardwood blocks for just this occasion... Sounds like a jobs worth to me...

I use blocks on my mates ramp to with out any problems. Yes, complete jobsworth who having been under the vehicle could also see two brand new steering arms, ball joints, bushes drop links on both sides , still gleaming from being fitted two weeks ago.

My previous L322 went into the little old-fashioned garage which I've been using for about 30 years, every year for MOT. They have a pit rather than a ramp, with a cross-jack, and they never had any trouble lifting mine for inspection. Sounds like the guy was pratting about; I'd go elsewhere on principle as much as anything else.

Halfords in Ashford have a similar ramp problem and will not do my FF. The SL has no problem and they did that a couple of weeks ago. They did in fact fail it on a broken spring. New spring fitted and a positive re-test. 2017 5.0 Autobiography Supercharged
2005 Merc SL350
2005 Disco HSE 2.7 oil burner

Find yourself a sensible MOT station, with a sensible tester.

I now this is not always easy, but will pay dividends.

a main dealer will test for about 50 odd quid, and they have proper lifts.

This was an independent bmw specialist in new built premises with 5 ramps and a 2 year old mot ramp. Not backstreet by any means. It’s a case of a P poor mot tester not knowing or willing to deal with a vehicle that is classed as plg due to insufficient knowledge of its suspension system. In which case, are they a fit and proper person to be making pass or fail decisions ?