A DRIVE-in coronavirus testing centre will open at Haydock Park Racecourse to test self-isolating NHS workers in the north west.

It is one of 13 new testing centres to open across the UK as part of the Government's promise to test thousands more frontline workers.

Haydock Park will offer appointments to self-isolating key NHS workers, or members of their family who have symptoms.

These NHS workers will be selected and contacted directly by their NHS Trust.

There will be five drive-through lanes, operating from 9am to 5pm, with test results available within a few days.

Dickon White, regional director of Jockey Club Racecourses North West, said: "Due to the coronavirus outbreak, horseracing and other events have been suspended, so we’re delighted to provide Haydock Park as a testing site for NHS staff who doing such an amazing job for us all.

"Haydock Park is ideally located near to Manchester, Liverpool and other major north west towns, as well as having very good transport links, so hopefully an ideal and easy location for NHS staff to get to."

Health Minister Lord Bethell said: "The Government is rapidly scaling up the national effort to boost testing capacity for coronavirus to protect the vulnerable, support our NHS, and ultimately save lives.

"This new service will help end the uncertainty of whether NHS and social care staff need to stay at home, meaning those who test negative will be able to return to work.

"This is a national effort and we are proud to be working with a number of partners to turn this ambition into a reality and roll out additional capacity to where it is needed."

Professor John Newton, national coordinator for the UK Coronavirus Testing Strategy, said: "New testing sites such as this one are a key pillar of our five-pillar plan to scale up testing, and are critical in supporting NHS staff who are isolating at home to return safely to work if the test is negative.

"This is a brilliant example of industries and businesses turning their resources to creating and rolling out mass testing at scale, which will help to deliver on our aim of carrying out 100,000 tests a day in England by the end of the month."

The Haydock Racecourse Testing Centre is being staffed by security company G4S and operated in partnership with Boots.