Brits can ‘game the system’ to get a Covid test by using postcodes hundreds of miles away, MP reveals

BRITS can “game” the system to get a Covid test by using postcodes hundreds of miles away from their home, an MP has sensationally revealed. Test centre staff at Twickenham Stadium in London are advising locals to say they live in Aberdeen to bag themselves a swab slot. They worked out appointments were still being […]

BRITS can “game” the system to get a Covid test by using postcodes hundreds of miles away from their home, an MP has sensationally revealed.

Test centre staff at Twickenham Stadium in London are advising locals to say they live in Aberdeen to bag themselves a swab slot.

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Reuters

Brits can lie about their postcode to get a coronavirus swab at the Twickenham testing site[/caption]

PA:Press Association

Staff at the Twickenham site told people to use the postcode trick[/caption]

Reuters

Hundreds of Brits queued up for tests in Bury, Greater Manchester today[/caption]

They worked out appointments were still being dished out to the Scottish postcode long after locals were told they were all full up.

Munira Wilson, the local Lib Dem MP, revealed the barmy loophole in an explosive intervention in Parliament yesterday.

Rounding on Matt Hancock over the shambles, she said she has been “inundated” with emails from doctors, teachers and parents unable to access tests.

She said: “A number of them have also been advised that if they put an Aberdeen postcode into the system, they can get a test in Twickenham and they have succeeded.

“So could the Secretary of State please tell me how on earth a world-beating test and trace system is functioning in this way, and what is he doing to fix it?

“And in the meantime, does he recommend that I tell those constituents who desperately need a test to game the system in this way?”

The Health Secretary begged Brits not to “game the system” but did not explain what had gone so badly wrong.

The Sun understands that  those who put in an Aberdeen postcode got a QR code which also worked at Twickenham Stadium.

Twickenham based photographer Emma Durnford said test centre staff are telling mums to use the ploy to get their poorly kids tested.

She tweeted: “On our local WhatsApp this morning a mum was desperate to get a test for children with symptoms, she couldn’t get one so went directly to Twickenham who advised she log on with a Scottish postcode.

“They were then able to do the test once she had the code.

“They were very empty when she went as nobody can get a local test the correct way – this is a shambles.”