A shipment of 400,000 gowns from Turkey has reportedly been impounded in a warehouse after falling short of UK standards.

The personal protective equipment (PPE) was flown into the UK by the RAF last month but has been held in a government warehouse near Heathrow, the Daily Telegraph said.

The paper said inspectors deemed the equipment to be faulty.

Issues over the supply of protective equipment such as gowns and masks for health workers have plagued the Government throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The Government announced in April that it had managed to source a substantial supply of gowns from Turkey, which, after an initial delay, was flown back into the UK on April 22.

However it has since been revealed that some of the equipment did not meet the required criteria to be suitable for use by frontline healthcare workers, the Telegraph reported.

It is not yet clear whether the Government will pursue a refund over the order.

In a statement to the paper, the Department of Health and Social Care said: “This is a global pandemic with many countries procuring PPE, leading to shortages around the world, not just the UK.

“We are working night and day to source PPE internationally and domestically and brought together the NHS, industry and the Armed Forces to create a comprehensive PPE distribution network to deliver critical supplies to the front line.

“All deliveries of PPE are checked to ensure the equipment meets the safety and quality standards our frontline staff need. If equipment does not meet our specifications or pass our quality assurance processes, it is not distributed to the front line.”