NATIONAL contact tracers have missed almost a quarter of potentially at-risk residents in Cumbria, new figures show.

Government statistics revealed that 78 per cent of potentially-exposed people were reached across the county.

The revelation heaps further pressure on Number 10 over the contracts awarded to outsourcing giants Serco and Sitel - worth hundreds of millions of pounds - to lead the flagship national scheme.

According to the figures, the contact tracers hired as part of the national programme have failed to reach nearly half of potentially-exposed people in areas with some of the highest infection rates in England.

In the country’s 20 worst-hit areas, the firms reached just 54 per cent of people who had been in close proximity to an infected person, leaving more than 21,000 exposed residents un-contacted.

No breakdown for Furness or the South Lakes was available in the government statistics.

Commenting on the figures this week, Barrow MP Simon Fell said: "I'd like to see some of these spare resource go to local directors of public health rather than be directed at a national level.

"Our local response to Covid-19 has been excellent and the [added] support would surely help [that effort].

"That said, planning for contact tracing is an almost impossible task, planning capacity for the worst situation while hoping for the best."

Mr Fell, however, did not comment on whether the Government should consider bringing its agreements with Serco and Sitel - contracts for which there was reportedly no open tender - to an end.

In the case of Sitel, government contracts have reportedly been extended for another eight weeks at least from Monday, August 24.

6,000 'idle' contact tracers hired as part of the national scheme were this month reportedly set to be reallocated into stretched regional teams run in conjunction with local authorities.

However, that promise fell apart under scrutiny and further questioning.

South Lakes MP Tim Farron slammed the Government over its 'shambolic' handling of the national Test and Trace scheme, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised would be 'world-beating' in spring.

Yesterday, he said: “A fully function test, track and trace system is simply crucial to us being able to defeat the virus and save lives.

“Despite promises of a ‘world-beating’ system from the Government, the reality has been a complete and utter shambles.

“Rather than continuing to reward Serco and Sitel for failure at huge expense to the taxpayer, the Government should seriously consider giving the contracts to someone else.

“Thankfully our local test and trace operation in Cumbria appears to be having much better success and I’m grateful to Colin Cox and his team [for the work they] are doing throughout this crisis.”