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Professor Hugh Pennington warned if the NHS test and trace system wasn’t effective then the the only alternative was compulsory random testing. The leading microbiologist said the new NHS system relied on significant voluntary compliance from people who show symptoms.

He pointed out that only half of people who develop coronavirus symptoms self-isolate for at least a week, according to government science advisers.

Because of this, Professor Pennington stressed there were urgent questions about the test-and-trace strategy aimed to contain future outbreaks.

The emeritus professor of bacteriology at Aberdeen University, said: “Test and trace is only going to work if people sign up to it but it may be that a significant number don’t.

“The only other way out would be massive random testing in places like supermarket queues etc and it may come to it.

“It would need to be backed-up with legislation, but we will need to do this if we don’t get the transmission down and if we don’t they will have to think of some other way.

“I know of no other alternative to random testing on a community scale.”

The scientist worked at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, with the renowned virologist who discovered the first human coronavirus, June Almeida.

Testing and tracing – seen as key to easing lockdown restrictions – is now being rolled out across England with the help of 25,000 contact tracers.

But concerns have been raised about the system, and the chief executive of NHS Providers said the country is “weeks behind” where it should be.

Shadow communities secretary Steve Reed accused the Government of having “wasted time” with its track and trace scheme.

Mr Reed told Sky’s Ridge on Sunday: “Now the Government has, in my opinion, wasted time on getting this programme right.”

“We need to see better data-sharing so that local authorities know exactly who needs to be contacted and asked to isolate.”

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Professor Pennington stressed that there “wasn’t the capacity” for such massive testing at the moment.

But he said it was technically possible though you would have to ramp up testing tenfold.

He added: “If we don’t get the transmission rate down with this new test and trace in a couple of weeks – and the system is working well – we will have to go back to the drawing board and that will mean considering mass random testing.

“If the lockdown had been so brilliant we would have had fewer cases.

“Part of the problem was not having the capacity early enough to do aggressive mass community contact tracing.

“Lockdown has only stopped big outbreaks, it has not stopped the virus getting into care homes, which is a real scandal.

“We are going in the right direction with getting the number of cases down but it is too slow.

“The thinking has been too influenced by a flu pandemic.

“With flu you get a peak, then it goes down and then there are second and even third waves. Flu is not a good model because this is a different type of virus that behaves differently. I am a second wave sceptic.”

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