It was a quiet start for the new COVID testing site in Teddington

The above pictures were taken over the weekend with no influx of people booked in for a test.

Work on building the site began last Wednesday, before the new test centre opened on Saturday.

The site is located on Broom Road at the St Mary's University sports campus in Teddington.

The testing site will only be for those arriving by foot or bicycle and parking will not be available on the site or nearby.

To access an appointment, people MUST book in advance.

The new site will be open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm to cope with the expected increased demand for testing in the area.

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

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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."

The COVID rate per 100,000 in Richmond Borough has actually come down in recent days.

Having reached highs of nearly 200 a few weeks ago the current rate is now 128.

If you've had a test at the centre tell us about your experience by emailing [email protected]