The Government has missed its target for Coronavirus testing for the sixth day in a row.
The 100,000 target has only been met once - on the deadline set by the Health Secretary.
And there have also been reports of delays of up to 10 days in getting results back leaving health bosses to worry that staff who may be positive are continuing to work and put patients at rest.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said 97,029 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 9am on Friday, up from 86,583 the day before.
Asked about the failings Environment Secretary George Eustice said: "If you have, as we do, 50 different sites offering drive-through tests you will get regional variances.
"You will get some days of surplus tests where people haven't come forward to take them in some areas, and you will have other areas where you don't have quite enough capacity for that local demand.
"The important thing is to have those ambitious targets you're working to, to just continually build the capacity. But you will of course get daily fluctuations in availability in any given local area."
Just 86,583 tests were provided in the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday - an increase of around 17,000 on the day before, but still dramatically below the 100,000 a day target.
Downing Street blamed Tuesday's figures which were just 69,463, on "technical issues" in a single lab.
Tests have repeatedly failed to meet the 100,000 target since it was achieved at the end of April.
The spokesman said: "The target was 100,000 tests at the end of April. The purpose of the target was to drive up capacity in order that we could provide a test for anyone who needed one."
On Wednesday Boris Johnson shocked PMQs viewers by promising to double the goal to 200,000 by the end of May.
Matt Hancock promised the UK would get to 100,000 tests a day by the end of April.
Ministers claimed victory on passing the 100,000 a day target on Friday, despite counting tens of thousands of tests which had only sent out by courier, not analysed by labs.
But the government only managed to hit that on two days, Friday and Saturday.
On Sunday ministers insisted testing capacity remains high, but put the lower figures down to fewer people being at work at the weekend.
It was revealed on Friday that tens of thousands of at home tests a day are counted towards the daily figure when they are sent out by courier - rather than when they are processed by a lab.
Ministers claimed victory on passing Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s target a week ago, despite counting tens of thousands of tests which had only sent out by courier, not analysed by labs.
