HEALTH Secretary Matt Hancock has said the current coronavirus testing shortage in the UK will take a "matter of weeks" to resolve.

Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, Mr Hancock said: "Capacity for testing is at a record high. I don't deny that it is an enormous challenge and when you have a free service, it's inevetable that demand rises. The challenge is to make sure that we prioritise the tests that we have as a nation to those that most need it."

When asked whether the resolution is likely to come in the two-week timeframe suggested last week, he responded: "I think we will be able to solve this problem in a matter of weeks."

Home Secretary Priti Patel this morning said that being unable to access a test was "unacceptable."

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said: “Clearly there is much more work that needs to be undertaken with Public Health England and the actual public health bodies in those particular local areas.

“As a Government we work with Public Health England to surge where there is demand in local hotspot areas and we continue to do that.”

It comes as people in Basingstoke have struggled to book a test locally for several days, including two teachers at Fairfields Primary School and a Basingstoke Hospital worker.