A Nottingham man with coronavirus symptoms claims he was told to drive to Dundee for a test.
The man, who was identified only as “Nick”, made the revelation in a call to radio station LBC.
It comes after it emerged that tests are being rationed in some parts of the country as some UK labs are struggling to keep up with demand.
The man, who called in to Nick Ferrari’s talk show, said he thought it was “absurd” that he was being asked to travel so far, and initially thought he’d entered the address for the test centre incorrectly.
One potential route between the two cities, along the M6, would have taken him through the outskirts of Preston, which is one of the worst affected areas of England and subject to a local lockdown.
Nick told LBC: “Last week I got a dry cough, feeling achey, splitting headache and my sense of taste had gone a bit weird and though ‘I’m need to test’.
“So I went on the government website and they wanted me to go 341 miles – Nottingham to Dundee.
“I thought shall I do this? I went on to Google Maps, 341 miles, I thought I think I’ll pass that, I’ll take some paracetamol. Over the week the symptoms did subside so I’ve kicked that one into touch.
I couldn’t believe it – I thought I’d got the address or postcode wrong, so I put it in again and got Dundee again.
“I like Scotland but 341 miles was a bit too much.”
