A drive-through coronavirus testing centre will be set up in Dorset in the coming days.

Dorset director for public health, Sam Crowe, said work was “ongoing” to identify a site but that it was expected it would be operational in about a week.

The move follows criticism from care providers which have been told the closest testing centre for their staff either at Plymouth or Gatwick Airport.

Testing of suspected coronavirus outbreaks at care homes is overseen by Public Health England with tests processed in Bristol and results usually available within “a couple of days”.

The county’s three main hospitals also test patients with “respiratory symptoms” using the “limited capacity” of their own laboratories.

But private care firms have been told that the closest testing facility for their staff is more than 100 miles away from Dorset.

Last week, Rachel Dryden, the chief executive of Encore Care Homes, which operates facilities in Dorset, said the provision for the sector was “incredibly unfair”.

Concerns have been echoed by the Local Government Association which said the care industry was facing a "severe challenge" and that it needed "reliable and ongoing" supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and better testing.

Last week it was announced a drive-through testing centre would be opened in Portsmouth

And speaking at a meeting of BCP Council’s scrutiny committee on Monday, Mr Crowe said the area was also in line for one.

“[Testing at Gatwick Airport is] not ideal for people travelling from BCP Council – it’s a long way to go,” he said.

“There are discussions ongoing about identifying a site – either in Bournemouth or Poole or in the wider conurbation – for a drive-through testing facility and I believe that is planned for either April 28 or 29.

“In Dorset we don’t have as much capacity as we would like to be able to test the workers in these different roles and we need to stand that up as quickly as we can.”

The new testing centre will be one of “around 50” which the government said would be set up across the country by the end of the month through a partnership with Deloitte.

A further update on the county’s coronavirus testing capacity is expected to be given to Public Health Dorset in the coming days.