The UK will soon see driverless cars on public roads from January 2015, according to business secretary Vince Cable.

The new cars are said to be computer-controlled and will use GPS technology to navigate the streets.

Ministers have plans to look at and review existing road regulations to ensure there is an appropriate way to testing driverless cars and to provide suitable guidelines where necessary.

"Today’s announcement puts us at the forefront of this transformational technology and opens up new opportunities for our economy and society."

Cable said: "Today’s announcement will see driverless cars take to our streets in less than six months, putting us at the forefront of this transformational technology and opening up new opportunities for our economy and society."

Initial tests will run for a period of 18 to 36 months and UK cities wishing to host one of the trials have until the start of October to declare their interest.

A number of engineers in the UK, including a group at the University of Oxford, have been experimenting with driverless cars, but concerns pertaining to legal and insurance issues have so far restricted the machines to private roads.

In June, Google launched its ‘hands-free’ self-driving bubble car with no steering wheel, brake or accelerator pedals. The computerised car is said to have start buttons, pull over and emergency stop, as well as a computer screen displaying the planned route.