Government blunder meant Covid test centre carried out just ONE test last week in Milton Keynes

MK Council opened up the mobile unit in Stantonbury's Soskin Drive last Wednesday with the aim of keeping a check on rising infections in the north of MK.

But by Friday just ONE person had actually visited it to have a test, the Citizen can reveal.

This is because an alleged blunder on behalf of the Department of Health had somehow failed to register the unit as active on the government's online booking system.

"When people with symptoms went online to book a test in MK, the Stantonbury unit wasn't being included as an option. It was all a bit of a waste of time," said one source.

It is understood the Department of Health has now apologised to MK Council and given them permission to open the unit for longer.

A council spokesman said: "We were disappointed by this error given that we’d negotiated hard to get an extra facility set up in Milton Keynes."

He added: "We have been told the centre will be in place for an additional two weeks."

The mobile centre had attracted criticism as soon as it opened because it is sited in a car park used by parents to drop off and pick up Year 10 pupils at Stantonbury International School. It is also close to a children's day nursery and an athletics stadium.

One parent said: "This is a totally ridiculous and badly thought out location with a whole year group of students and parents dropping off and picking up in the area."

Stantonbury International School already has problems with Covid and has experienced multiple confirmed cases among students and staff. Over the past couple of weeks it has has to close five different year groups for pupils to isolate.