Pilot scheme at Jaguar Land Rover to stop workers isolating after Test and Trace 'ping'

Small and large companies are being hit by staff shortages of up to 20 per cent, but JLR, which has its engine manufacturing plant at the i54 to the north of Wolverhampton, has said it is not experiencing problems.

JLR is part of a Government pilot scheme that means workers who receive a Covid alert can take daily lateral flow tests rather than having to self-isolate.

The number of people notified by the app in England and Wales recently passed 500,000 in a single week.

Business groups and unions say the pinging problem has escalated this week, leading to pleas for the Government to step in.

There are calls to bring forward the August 16 date where the fully vaccinated will not have to self-isolate if they come into contact with someone with Covid-19.

Stephen Phipson, chief executive of manufacturing organisation Make UK, said: "This is a problem that has escalated significantly over the last week with more and more companies being affected by isolation, with not just an impact on production but a hit to actual shipments of goods going overseas.

"This is an increasingly serious issue affecting companies of all sizes and sectors. There is now an urgent priority for Government to bring forward the August date given the likely impact of restrictions being lifted next week."

Car giant Nissan has been affected at its plant in Sunderland and it is believed that other carmakers, including Rolls-Royce could also have to make changes to production schedules to deal with the problem.

A spokesman for the British Meat Processors Association said: "We're hearing reports from some members that between five and 10 per cent of their workforce have been 'pinged' by the app and asked to self-isolate.

"This is on top of the desperate shortage of workers that the industry is already suffering. As a result, companies are having to simplify down their range of products to compensate for key skills being removed from their production lines.

"If the UK workforce situation deteriorates further, companies will be forced to start shutting down production lines altogether.

"It's for this reason that we've been calling on the Government for months to add butchers to the Shortage Occupation List, which would allow the industry to temporarily fill these growing vacancies with overseas workers until the current crisis has passed."

West Midlands Railway has seen the number of staff having to self-isolate quadruple in recent weeks, resulting in trains being cancelled at short notice and fewer carriages being available on some services.

Meanwhile, Black Country businesses have been asked to help step up efforts to get workers vaccinated.

The NHS Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group Please has issued an open letter to employers.

It asks firms with less than 50 employees and those with 50 to 100 to tell staff where they can get the vaccine locally and allow time off to get vaccinated.

For those with 100 or more who think that more than 50 per cent are not vaccinated it is offering to deliver a vaccination clinic just for the workforce.