St Mary's University will close one of its Teddington car parks to set up a new coronavirus testing centre.

The university has been thanked by Richmond Council for facilitating the new Covid-19 testing facility in the car park at the uni's Broom Road sports campus.

It will open on Saturday, November 7.

Tests need to be pre-booked and appointments will be made available later in the week.

They will be available for those with coronavirus symptoms – a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss or change to sense of smell or taste and can be booked on the new NHS Covid-19 app, online or by calling 119.

Users have been urged to arrive by foot. "The testing site will be for only those arriving by foot or bicycle. There will be NO parking on site or in the nearby area for those wanting a test," Richmond Council said.

The new facility is in addition to the mobile testing unit regularly based at Old Deer Park in Richmond and the regional centre at Twickenham Stadium.

It will be open seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm.

Cllr Piers Allen is chair of the Adult Social Services, Health and Housing Services Committee and Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

He said: "There is a very high demand for coronavirus tests and it is vital we test people with these symptoms to help stop the spread of the virus and protect our community.

"Finding positive cases and asking these people and their household to self-isolate is key to breaking the chains of transmission, so we can keep Richmond upon Thames safe.

"It remains vital that anyone with Covid-19 symptoms gets tested. By increasing the testing capacity within our borough through the new site, we want to make it easier for all residents who have symptoms to access a test quickly.

"The council are very grateful to St Mary's University for providing this site."

Those visiting the Teddington site for testing will be required to follow stringent public health measures, including social distancing, wearing face coverings, practising good personal hygiene and not travelling by taxi or public transport, including while travelling to and from the testing centre, the council said.

Anyone attending an appointment at the new walk-through site will be provided with guidance on getting to and from the test site safely when they book their test.

St Mary's vice-chancellor Anthony McClaran, said: "Access to testing is an essential part of the battle to control and reduce the spread of Covid-19.

"St Mary's shares Richmond Council's commitment to protecting the health of the whole community and we want to support all residents of the local area through hosting this new Coronavirus testing site."

The site is part of the Department for Health and Social Care's network of diagnostic testing facilities which includes drive-through and walk-through sites, mobile units, home testing and satellite kits, with five large laboratories processing the kits.

Anyone testing positive for the virus in England will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace to help them track their contacts. This will help people to identify who they may have been in close contact with, protecting others from further transmission.

Close contacts of those testing positive will also hear from NHS Test and Trace, asking them to stay at home for 14 days to prevent them from unknowingly spreading the virus. They will be advised to also book a test if they develop symptoms.