The Foreign Office is working on a plan to rescue Britons trapped in the epicentre of a SARS-like coronavirus outbreak in China within days.
It is estimated that up to 500 UK citizens are in Wuhan after Chinese authorities locked down the city of 11million and told residents and visitors not to leave the "ghost town".
Britons stuck in Wuhan have expressed frustration and called for a mass evacuation while accusing the UK Government of dragging its feet during the crisis.
Patrick, a train driver from Reading who is stranded in the central city and hasn't been outside for five days, told Mirror Online: "America just had a flight take off and France has concrete plans in place to evacuate their citizens, whilst the UK, from what I can see, have done nothing."
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It is understood that the Foreign Office is working with Chinese officials to airlift British citizens from Hubei province - which includes Wuhan and is where most of the infections have occurred - within days.
Patrick, who is visiting his Chinese girlfriend for Lunar New Year, said he hasn't left her family's flat in almost a week as hundreds more cases are reported every day.
The 30-year-old, who is running low on medication for bipolar disorder, said he is "frustrated" over Britain's handling of the crisis and criticised the official advice from the Foreign Office.
Britons trapped in Hubei had been urged to leave the city on their own if they were able to do so, but flights are grounded, train bus and ferry services have been cancelled and there are roadblocks.
They were also advised to follow the advice of Chinese authorities, who told Wuhan residents and visitors not to leave the city.
Patrick said: "There's no way to leave the city. That was one of the pieces of advice I got from the Government was to leave Wuhan, but it also said to comply with the Chinese authorities.
"The city is completely locked down. You can't get out, you can't get public transport."
He added: "If France and the US can evacuate their citizens, I think the same should be done for us."
France and the US said they would evacuate their citizens from Hubei province this week.
UK citizens stranded in Wuhan were on Tuesday urged to contact the British consulate as part of repatriation plans, but Patrick said the consulate in Wuhan has been shut.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the Government is "working on" how to bring people home from the Chinese city.
He told BBC Breakfast: "For anybody who is there, one of the issues we have, working with our partners internationally on this, is actually identifying how many British citizens there are in Wuhan.
"One of the things we're asking people to do is to contact the consulate there to make them aware. People have started to do that.
"We are working on arrangements as well."
He added: "If they actually contact the consulate where they are then that consulate is in fact gathering together all the information of the people who are there, in order to help repatriate where that's appropriate."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously insisted the Government is doing "everything we can" to get Britons out of Hubei province, which includes Wuhan.
Officials estimate up to 200 UK citizens currently there will want to return to the UK.
Patrick said: "When we arrived we knew there was a virus, but it was very much played down here and there were no warnings.
"Wuhan is completely empty after being locked down.
"It is normally very, very busy, but I've not seen anybody on the streets outside the apartment. It's like a ghost town."
In China, at least 106 people have died and more than 2,800 have been infected by the virus.
Public Health England has said it is likely that the flu-like virus has already spread to the UK even though no cases have been confirmed yet.
It said 73 people who have recently travelled to the UK from Wuhan have been tested for the virus, and all of the results have come back negative.
More than 1,400 people in Britain who have returned from Wuhan since January 14 should isolate themselves for two weeks, according to the Government.
They are advised to call NHS 111 to inform them of their recent travel to the city even if they aren't showing any symptoms.
People in Northern Ireland should call their GP.
The current risk to the public remains low, Public Health England said, adding that the Government is continuing to monitor the situation closely.
However, Chinese officials have said that it can take up to two weeks for symptoms to show and carriers could spread the virus to others before they are diagnosed.
Germany declared its first confirmed case on Monday, saying a man in the town of Starnberg, near Munich, had tested positive.
The man was in "good condition" and isolated in hospital.
Three patients are being treated in France, the first European country to record coronavirus cases.
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