AN EXTRA testing site has been set up in Selby in a bid to contain an outbreak which has made the town the UK's worst Covid hotspot.

North Yorkshire’s Public Health service says the mobile unit has been established at Clipper Logistics for people who do not have symptoms to take a lateral flow test.

Clipper's workforce in Selby has been significantly affected by the outbreak, which has led to the town's rate doubling.

A spokesperson said the authorities were also working in the wider community in schools and care settings, community centres and the hospitality sector, to reinforce key prevention messages and help manage any cases as and when they occur.

"They are also reaching out to different parts of the community, particularly where people’s first language may not be English" they said.

They said the site was open from today at Brook Lodge in Union Lane, Selby, YO8 4BA, from 9am to 5pm, and people did not need to book an appointment.

Louise Wallace, North Yorkshire’s Director of Public Health said: “This outbreak is a reminder that Covid-19 is still with us and can easily spread across our communities.

“All agencies in Selby are focused on how further infections can be stopped and the rates brought under control.

“I am grateful for all of the effort that has been put in by colleagues from our council as well as Selby District Council and other agencies to try and limit any spread and to make sure that businesses and other community organisations centred around Selby are on top of all of their precautions to avoid any further community transmission.

“Selby is geographically located at the heart of the wider Yorkshire region, with extensive transport networks and lots of inward and outward travel to work so its Covid-19 infection rate is prone to that sort of turbulence, more than some other areas in North Yorkshire.

“We look on a daily basis at the data in each district in order to deal with outbreaks in a range of settings as they occur. All partners are ready to act swiftly as the need occurs as is the case currently in Selby.”

Janet Waggott, Chief Executive of Selby District Council said: “As regular testing is a very important element of the roadmap to national recovery, we welcome the opening of the new Assisted Lateral Flow Testing Site in Selby today.

“This will provide our local residents with an easily accessible local site from which to obtain home testing kits.

“Importantly, it will also give anyone new to testing or anyone unsure about the process, the skills and knowledge to carry out this process at home with confidence.

“Alongside the existing testing kit pick-up points in Selby, this new site further strengthens our ability to make sure our district continues to be a safe place.

“I would encourage any local residents who are not already testing to take their first step to doing so by coming along to this new site.”