Thousands of Covid-19 antibody tests which could help Britain ramp up its test and trace programme and get back to work are "gathering dust in warehouses", The Telegraph can reveal.
The tests could be used to help health authorities detect local and regional spikes in coronavirus as the country comes out of lockdown and tell individuals whether they might have had the illness.
But small firms that would be able to supply vital antibody tests, which tell users whether they may have had coronavirus, have accused the Government of dragging its feet over buying proven tests.
Macclesfield-based medical supplier Avonchem is currently sitting on 100,000 antibody tests it bought from US firm CTK Biotech.
It says the tests could be used to help identify individuals who have had the virus and are unlikely to get it again, giving employers, schools and health services vital information needed to reopen the economy.
Avonchem contacted the Government in March, offering to supply the finger-prick test, but has still not secured Public Health England (PHE) or Department of Health (DoH) approval for the kits, despite the test being approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and being widely used in other countries.
The pin-prick test is 99.4 per cent accurate, according to independent verification obtained by Avonchem, with results available in 10 to 15 minutes. But the firm now warns it may have to ship the tests overseas if it can not secure the necessary approval for their use in this country in the near future.
James Gray, the managing director of Avonchem, told The Telegraph: "We're not interested in profiteering. We want to do the right thing and give the Government the opportunity to use them, but their lack of interest and engagement until now has been very sad and frustrating."
It comes as the Government faces growing questions about its approach to the purchase of antibody testing, after it emerged that PHE's coronavirus test misses a third of positive results.
One study found the EuroImmun IGg ELISA test being used to gather PHE's data about how many people have already had the virus is only 67 per cent accurate.
The Department of Health has confirmed that it had to cancel orders for £70 million worth of tests after they were found to be inaccurate.
That figure was out of a total £90 million, suggesting the remaining £20 million could not be recovered and the tests must now be used for non-diagnostic purposes or scrapped.
Suppliers such as Avonchem have accused Whitehall of a "glacial approach to procurement" and of stonewalling its offers to supply the tests.
Mr Gray, whose firm has supplied similar tests to the UN, Unesco and health charities for use in Africa, approached Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s office in March, offering to supply the tests. "It just seemed to fall into an abyss, with no response to our offer," he said.
There was also no response when the firm approached No. 10 in April or when it went through the Government's online portal.
Finally, a special adviser to Mr Hancock responded to another email sent by Avonchem on May 15, and on Wednesday the Department of Health asked for the test to be submitted to Oxford University for validation.
Mr Gray said his tests – and other similar ones that give a result within 15 minutes – would allow family and friends to be more confident about contact with shielded individuals and allow employers to know what proportion of the workforce has been affected by Covid-19 to help planning for any potential future waves.
Antibody tests would also show the Government how many people have had the virus to help prepare for a second wave and localised lockdowns.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We have received an extraordinary response to our call to action to supply antibody tests, and we are hugely grateful to everyone who has come forward.
"We continue to identify and validate tests that meet the UK's needs and are closely working with all of our suppliers to ensure we are able to further roll out millions of antibody tests.