Heathrow, Birmingham and Bradford are just some of the places Cambridge residents say that have been directed to get a Covid test.

Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner has received a flood of complaints from constituents about not being able to access tests locally and complaining of long waits on the 119 phone line.

It comes after the health secretary, Matt Hancock, pledged on Monday that no one should have to travel more than 75 miles each way to get a test. The head of NHS test and trace subsequently issued an apology to people in England who have either been unable to secure a test or have been told to travel hundreds of miles.

Mr Zeichner says constituents have told him they have sat refreshing their computer browser for eight hours to get a test, while others have endured long waits on the phone and been cut off on multiple occasions. This is leading people to miss work and school.

He said: “Without an effective vaccine, a functioning test and trace system is the only way to safely reopen society and to allow people to get back to work and school more quickly rather than being stuck in isolation. Sadly the Government has been exposed as incompetent again.”