ALMOST 16 million protective goggles supplied for use by NHS and care workers will be urgently withdrawn because they fail to ensure protection from coronavirus, the government admitted today.

The “tiger eye”-type goggles have been recalled after tests showed that they does not meet current requirements for “splash protection” and are only suitable for low-risk settings.

A letter from the Department of Health and Social Care said: “As a result, this product should not be used in a Covid-19 setting, and we are removing it from the supply chain.”