Estate agents across England will now be able to order free Covid-19 tests until the end of June.

The Department for Health and Social Care said  businesses of all sizes, including those with fewer than 50 employees, can now register to order lateral flow tests for employees.

Lateral flow tests tend to provide results in around 30 minutes, rather than the usual 24 hours required after a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test.

So far over 3,500 businesses are signed up to offer workplace testing programmes, and over 14,000 have registered their interest in offering rapid testing, with many already rolling tests out.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “Regular workplace testing is a vital part of our route back to normal life, which is why I’m very pleased that we’re now expanding our offer of free workplace testing to businesses of all sizes, including SMEs.

“These rapid tests will allows positive cases of Covid-19 to be caught quickly, which is crucial in helping businesses protect their workplaces and employees as we cautiously lift restrictions.

“I urge all businesses to register their interest in the programme before 31 March to help break chains of transmission and keep people safe.”