ST HELENS’ MPs have waded into the testing “fiasco” that saw thousands of coronavirus cases left out of official figures.

Public Health England (PHE) has blamed the blunder – which saw the 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 go unreported for several days – on a “technical issue”.

However, several reports in the national press have suggested a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet glitch was at the root of the problem.

It is understood the Excel spreadsheet reached its maximum file size, preventing new names being added in an automated process.

In St Helens, 292 new cases were added to its cumulative total by PHE over the weekend, pushing the infection rate above 300, per 100,000 population.

Test and Trace and PHE Joint Medical Advisor Susan Hopkins said people who tested positive for Covid-19 still received their results in the normal way.

However, the error meant there was a delay in informing the people they came into contact with, with a massive tracing operation now underway.

Conor McGinn, Labour MP for St Helens North and Shadow Home Office Minister, said: “The latest testing fiasco has meant potentially tens of thousands of people who were in close contact with someone who has coronavirus have been carrying on as normal rather than self-isolating and getting tested themselves, undoubtedly including many in St Helens and Merseyside.

“Over the weekend, the Prime Minister seemed to blame people in the North for our communities having to be put in stricter measures, despite the rate in his own constituency being higher than many places under a local lockdown.

“I’d suggest the latest chaos involving his Government’s testing and tracing systems means he might want to look at bit closer to home for where the fault in all this lies.”

Marie Rimmer, MP for St Helens South and Whiston, has accused the Government of “sheer incompetence”.

St Helens Star: St Helens North MP Conor McGinn and St Helens South and Whiston MP Marie Rimmer have both hit out at the Government St Helens North MP Conor McGinn and St Helens South and Whiston MP Marie Rimmer have both hit out at the Government

She warned that thousands of contacts may have been missed already and said the health and wellbeing of the nation depends on it being rectified.

Ms Rimmer said: “This is yet another demonstration of the sheer incompetence we have come to expect from this Government.

“Private companies have been given billions of pounds to help our nation cope with Covid-19. They were tasked with setting up a test and trace system that works, and so far they have failed.

“It’s no wonder that case numbers are rising when our best defence against this was a working test and trace system, which we simply do not have.

“This was too important of a task to be given to the private sector. Public Health England should have been working with local authorities to get this done.

“Contact tracing was already struggling, but this just makes it even worse. There could have been thousands of contacts missed already.

“It needs sorting and fast. The health and wellbeing of our country depends on it.”