Opening hours have been reduced at Covid testing sites despite soaring infection rates, sparking an outcry from staff.

It is feared the money-saving move - which will see centres close two hours earlier each day - will mean some people forego getting tested.

One employee at a PCR testing centre in Canterbury has branded the decision "short-sighted", adding that as well as reducing testing slots, it will leave him and other staff hundreds of pounds worse off each month.

The move comes as the number of people with Covid in Kent's hospitals hits a seven-month high.

Meanwhile, the county's infection rate has reached its highest level in nine months, with case numbers now matching those last seen in January, when the UK entered its third national lockdown.

Until this week, local and regional PCR testing sites were open from 8am to 8pm.

But as of yesterday, the NHS has decided to close them at 6pm daily.

"Losing that money each month is going to make a deep hole..."

One employee at the walk-in testing site at the University of Kent's Canterbury campus branded it "a financial decision based purely on financial considerations".

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Test numbers and new infection rates are still increasing, and Covid is still here.

"The decision cannot be based on public welfare or science," he said.

"My concern is that a lot of people if given an excuse will leave, blame the system, and go home untested.

"I have heard this story a few times and I know it is happening regularly."

The man says he and other colleagues - who are paid on an hourly basis - will lose a significant amount of income due to the cut in hours.

He will now be left with about £340 less a month, and is having to search for a new job.

He also expressed concerns for colleagues with young families to support.

"I could just about afford it before, but losing that money each month is going to make a deep hole," he said. "And it's come just before Christmas.

"Although we have two hours in the evening it is unrealistic to expect anyone to try to earn money in two hours after work. I feel that the two hours cut is unfair as well as short-sighted."

A spokesman for the UK Health Security Agency defended the change to hours.

They said: “We have built flexibility and scale into NHS Test and Trace so that we can adjust quickly to changing circumstances during the pandemic and we will continue to do this. We are constantly reviewing our testing demand forecasts to ensure we are well equipped to provide the right level of testing to the public.

“Recent analysis has shown there is limited demand for PCR testing between 6pm and 8pm at regional and local test sites. We are reducing operating hours at these sites to provide the best possible value for taxpayers’ money.”

But the testing centre employee says that while the hours of 6pm to 8pm could be quiet, they provided a vital chance for the general workforce to get tested.

"Last year, as it got towards Christmas, it started to get busier between those hours," he said.

"The last four days that I was on were the busiest between 7pm and 8pm that we've ever been.

"Numbers of cases are going up. People are coming in with a cold, and they need to make sure they haven't got Covid."

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