PEOPLE from the Cotswolds are having to drive hundreds of miles to get a coronavirus test as centres in the area struggle with rising demand.

One man from the Cotswolds who drove two hours so his children could get a test for Covid-19 was turned away after being told no tests were available.

Steve Hynd had an appointment booked for 6:30pm at a testing site in Telford, and drove for more than two hours so his children, aged one and three, who were showing symptoms, could receive a test.

Posting on his Twitter account, Steve said: “We arrived at 6:25pm to be told that the whole site was closed because they’d run out of tests.”

Steve appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain last week to discuss the incident with the show’s presenters Piers Morgan and Susana Reid. He said: “It was an incredibly mixed picture what was happening at the site.

“It was very confusing and a lot of people were upset but essentially we were told that the site was closed and that they had run out of tests.”

He added: “Both of my two young children had coughs so I was trying to follow the Government advice, but I think that there’s just a moral responsibility.

A science teacher from Cirencester took on an eight hour round trip to Wales on Friday, after her daughter developed Covid-19 symptoms. She said: “We tried all day on Thursday to get a Covid test and there was nothing available.

“In desperation I tried changing my postcode to access different test sites. I did finally find availability in Oldham, Lancashire, but I did not complete the booking."

Eventually she managed to get a test in Builth Wells and received a response 24 hours later to say the test returned negative.

"The whole thing was a nightmare," she added.

"I am an essential worker so I just wanted to get on with my job, I was livid at the situation."

Testing is run by the Department for Health and Social Care.

A spokesman said: “New booking slots and home testing kits are made available daily for those who need them and we are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most.

“We are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most as well as prioritising at-risk groups and we recently announced new laboratory facilities and new technology to process results even faster.”