The scientists behind the Government's Moonshot testing plans have leapt to the defence of lateral flow coronavirus tests - even after their own study found they were less than 50 per cent reliable at detecting the virus.
Experts who masterminded the pilot in Liverpool say the rapid tests are 'very helpful' and a 'good alternative' to the swab tests that take much longer to process.
Lateral flow devices, or LFDs, have been touted as a way to get Britain back to normal faster because they are cheap and give results within 30 minutes.
By comparison, the gold standard PCR tests take two to three days to identify positive cases, leaving more time for someone who is infected to return to the community, potentially spreading the virus.