Health chiefs had to scrap one of their vital Covid testing sites – when they turned up to find it blocked by motors.
NHS Ayrshire & Arran had booked the car park at Troon swimming pool to run to run a mobile unit for PCR swabs.
But stunned officials found their entry blocked – after the area had not been zoned off.
Hundreds of people who were booked in for tests saw their appointments cancelled at the last minute after the blunder on Tuesday.
And they were scattered far and wide across the west of Scotland as appointments were hurriedly rescheduled.
Four days on, bosses at South Ayrshire Council have still to provide an official reason for the site becoming unavailable at the last minute.
But Ayrshire Live understands that after taking the booking from the NHS, they failed to ensure the car park was vacant and free for use.
The mistake caused a last-minute rush to scrap all booked appointments, with health chiefs still searching for an official answer as to what went wrong.
It comes with testing sites under "extreme pressure" due to the soaring rates of positive cases being recorded.
The mobile PCR unit at Troon pool was intended to help relieve that strain.
A council spokesperson said: "We continue to work closely with the NHS to fulfil their requests for mobile testing unit (MTU) sites at council premises.
"Unfortunately, it was not possible to have an MTU at Troon Swimming Pool on Tuesday, January 4. We apologise for any inconvenience."
Lynne McNiven, director of public health at NHS Ayrshire & Arran, said: "We are aware of an issue with the MTU in Troon, which had been planned.
"We are working with our colleagues in South Ayrshire Council to understand the situation, so that we can avoid any future issues.
"We would like to take this opportunity to apologise to anyone who may have been inconvenienced by this issue."
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