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Britain's coronavirus testing programme was in disarray on Friday after it emerged that 43,000 people who were probably infected were given the all clear, fueling a spike in cases.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) was facing questions about how it missed the testing blunder, when it had been spotted more than a month ago by scientists and amateur data analysts.

NHS Test and Trace suspended testing operations at the Immensa Health Clinic laboratory, in Wolverhampton, on Friday, after it emerged that people had received negative PCR test results despite previously testing positive by lateral flow devices.

Experts warned the error would be likely to lead to tens of thousands more coronavirus cases, as well as more hospital admissions and deaths, because huge numbers did not self-isolate.

'It will lead to a spike in cases'
Dr Kit Yates, of the University of Bath’s department of mathematical sciences, said there had been a "concerted effort" among experts to highlight the "strange results" - but little had been done until recently.

"People have been gaslighted into thinking they haven’t got Covid and they have been going into schools and offices and potentially infecting tens of thousands of other people," he said.

"We should have been getting people to isolate but, without a PCR, you can't convince your boss you need to isolate. A PCR has been put on this pedestal and thought to be always better than lateral flow.

"It will lead to a spike in cases, and we’re already seeing that in places like Stroud. Currently we’re seeing rising cases in children, but that is now starting to bleed through to older age ranges - so this will impact on hospitalizations and deaths a few weeks down the line."

Crisis for UK Health Security Agency

The errors relate to test results given to people between September 8 and October 12, mainly in the South West of England, but with some cases in the South East and Wales.