BOSSES of a new coronavirus testing site in Gatwick have apologised after people were unable to book appointments due to a website malfunction.

The screening centre at Gatwick Airport opened on Monday for passengers, airport staff and the general public to buy tests.

According to the BBC, ExpressTest UK said people could not make bookings “due to high volumes of calls”.

Caroline Uttley told the broadcaster she had tried to book a test on Friday and was on hold “for hours”.

She said it crashed and there was “no communication”, while her emails were not replied to.

“It was absolutely shambolic, based on the way it has been sold to encourage us to travel now,” she added.

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From December 15, passengers arriving in England from countries, not on the travel corridor list, can pay to take a test after five days of self-isolation.

A negative result will mean they no longer need to quarantine.

Passengers and airport staff will be charged £60 for a test, with the general public being asked to pay £99.

An ExpressTest spokesman said: “We would like to apologise to those customers who have not been able to make a booking today [Saturday] or yesterday due to the high volumes were we currently experiencing to our website and call centre.”