EAST Lancashire residents are being told to travel hundreds of miles for coronavirus tests as demand outstrips capacity.

One Blackburn with Darwen councillor was told to travel to the Scottish Highlands - 295 miles away - when she tried to book an online test.

Yesterday, the gov.uk test website was asking people to try again later as there were no test slots available.

Other people have been told the nearest site was in places such as Wales and Shropshire.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is blaming the lack of capacity on a surge in people booking ‘inappropriate’ coronavirus tests in areas of the country where there are no local lockdown measures in place.

But he had pledged that no-one would be instructed to drive more than 75 miles for a test.

Cllr Maureen Bateson, who represents Ewood ward in Blackburn, tried to book a test on Tuesday, and after several failed attempts, she finally managed to get a booking at a centre in Kingussie in the Scottish Highlands, 295 miles from her home.

Cllr Bateson said: “I didn’t even know where the place was, I’ve never heard of it.

“I was relying on somebody taking me to the test centre, I can hardly ask them to take me 300 miles to the highlands of Scotland.”

Blackburn MP Kate Hollern said the testing system had descended into a ‘shambles’.

She said: “Given the infection rate in Blackburn – and the additional capacity the government says that there is in the system – residents have rightly been urged to get tested in Blackburn, regardless of their situation.

“The test and tracing system is already on its knees. If the government keeps changing its mind about who should and should not get tested, the result will only be to confuse people further.”

Cllr Bateson said her experience was frustrating given the facilities Blackburn with Darwen Council has put in place for residents to have easy access to testing.

She said: “I know there are facilities available within the town, the council has gone to the nth degree to try and encourage people by knocking on doors and setting up test centres.

“I think it’s wrong that Matt Hancock has failed. I understand the problem is not at the testing centres but at the laboratories, but he has had all this time to put in additional facilities.

“We encourage people to have tests. The facilities are there that we have put in to encourage people to go, I’ve put out messages to my residents and the system is almost in collapse.”

Others in East Lancashire trying to book tests are being hit with a wall on the government website stating that the “service is very busy” and to “try again in a few hours”.

When asked whether the test system is failing, Mr Hancock told Sky News: “I completely reject that accusation. In fact, quite the contrary. Firstly, we have the biggest testing system per head of population of all the major countries in Europe and we built it essentially from scratch.

“Right now, we have the highest capacity for testing that we’ve ever had – increased compared to last week.

“However, in the last couple of weeks we have seen an increase in demand, including an increase in demand for people who are not eligible for tests, and people who don’t have symptoms.

“You’re eligible for a test if you have symptoms of coronavirus, or if you have a very specific reason otherwise.”

He said that in some high-risk circumstances, such as in care homes, tests are available for asymptomatic people.

Denise Park, chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council, has urged people to keep following the guidance and basic rules to avoid further spread in the borough.

She said: “The best way we can all play our part is to stick to the basic rules for hand washing and social distancing, follow national and local rules on social mixing and get tested.

“The more people tested, positive or negative, the more evidence we have to make the best decisions.”

Neil Jack, chair of the Lancashire Resilience Forum’s regional co-ordination group for testing, said: “The Department for Health and Social Care provides two regional testing sites, one in Preston and one in Blackburn.

“They also provide six mobile testing units, which the Lancashire Resilience Forum can direct, based on assessments from the Directors of Public Health.

“The LRF is prioritising areas with the highest case numbers in Lancashire, while also seeking to provide capacity across Lancashire.

“Current national laboratory capacity means that the DHSC has limited access to testing at the sites, reducing the number of available slots. We are working with them to try to access more laboratory capacity.”