A new rapid call-out service to test for evidence of alcohol abuse by parents might be used to speed up the launch of child care proceedings, its manufacturers claim.

Trimega Laboratories says hair samples will be taken within 90 minutes of an initial request. Test results, measuring alcohol or drug consumption over a period of up to 12 months, will be provided in seven to ten days.

Avi Lasarow, managing director of Trimega Laboratories, said the new test would enable a local authority to quickly determine whether an individual has a long-term alcohol dependency, or enable a parent to show that they do not.

The express collection service costs £345 – paid for either by the government or the client.

Caroline Little, joint chairwoman of the Association of Lawyers for Children, said: ‘If it works and is reliable it will be brilliant, because you can have quite long turnaround times for these tests, but the cost may need to be addressed.’