diff --git a/app/authentication/auth.py b/app/authentication/auth.py
index 57842ee0c..67be729e8 100644
--- a/app/authentication/auth.py
+++ b/app/authentication/auth.py
@@ -18,10 +18,11 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm.exc import NoResultFound
 
 from app.serialised_models import SerialisedService
 
-GENERAL_TOKEN_ERROR_MESSAGE = '''
-        Invalid token: make sure your API token matches the example
-        at https://docs.notifications.service.gov.uk/rest-api.html#authorisation-header
-    '''  # nosec B105
+# stvnrlly - this is silly, but bandit has a multiline string bug (https://github.com/PyCQA/bandit/issues/658)
+# and flake8 wants a multiline quote here. TODO: check on bug status and restore sanity once possible
+TOKEN_MESSAGE_ONE = "Invalid token: make sure your API token matches the example "  # nosec B105
+TOKEN_MESSAGE_TWO = "at https://docs.notifications.service.gov.uk/rest-api.html#authorisation-header"  # nosec B105
+GENERAL_TOKEN_ERROR_MESSAGE = TOKEN_MESSAGE_ONE + TOKEN_MESSAGE_TWO
 
 AUTH_DB_CONNECTION_DURATION_SECONDS = Histogram(
     'auth_db_connection_duration_seconds',
diff --git a/tests/app/celery/test_process_ses_receipts_tasks.py b/tests/app/celery/test_process_ses_receipts_tasks.py
index 896ddc079..cd54a187c 100644
--- a/tests/app/celery/test_process_ses_receipts_tasks.py
+++ b/tests/app/celery/test_process_ses_receipts_tasks.py
@@ -198,7 +198,8 @@ def test_ses_callback_should_log_if_notification_is_missing(client, _notify_db,
         assert process_ses_results(ses_notification_callback(reference='ref')) is None
         assert mock_retry.call_count == 0
         mock_logger.assert_called_once_with(
-            'notification not found for reference: ref (while attempting update to delivered)'
+            'notification not found for reference: ref (while \
+                attempting update to delivered)'
         )