Harrowing stories of children across the borough suffering with severe mental health issues without help have been revealed by Munira Wilson MP.

The Twickenham MP said she was both 'angry and devastated' at the lack of help for children, their families and schools.

The mother of two young children has championed support for youngsters with mental health issues, including severe anxiety made worse by the pandemic.

In emotional speech in the House of Commons, she told of families and schools that are overwhelmed and teenagers waiting years for treatment.

She told of a violent seven-year-old who had to be locked in a classroom to protect other pupils and staff and has now been put on a waiting list for support.

And the MP also revealed the tragedy of a year 11 pupil who took their own life last year amid concerns a lack of help at an early stage is putting youngsters at risk.

The MP said: "From the moment I was I elected I have had a relentless stream of parents, carers and young people coming to me, often waiting a year or more, if they are very lucky six months, to access desperately needed support.

"I do get warm words from well-meaning ministers and promises about all the things they are doing, but the reality is we are not seeing this on the ground."

The MP has proposed a Private Members Bill that would require the government to provide an annual report on children's mental health services to help understand where improvements to services, such as efforts to reduce waiting times, are needed.

She is also calling for the appointment of a trained mental health expert in every school.

Ms Wilson said: "Behind every number…there is a child who is struggling to do every day normal activities that every young person should be able to do, or tragically taking their own lives as happened with a year 11 pupil in my constituency last year.

"There are parents tearing their hair out. The tragedy is, if we could intervene earlier, we wouldn't end up with so many children in crisis.

"One mother came to see me a couple of weeks ago and her 15-year-old was referred in 2019 for anxiety, she is still waiting for treatment.

"And now her needs are so much worse, and therefore she's got to go to the back of the queue for another waiting list for tier 3 instead of tier 2 intervention."

She added: "My local head teachers just say they are overwhelmed. They have seen a 50-100per cent increase in need since the start of the pandemic.

"They are buying in additional support, but their staff can't cope with the volume and complexity of the need."

In a particularly alarming example, she said: "I witnessed in a primary school a seven-year-old having to be locked in a classroom because he was rampaging around with various items attacking pupils and staff.

'That pupil is now on a CAMHS – Children and Adolescents Mental Health Services - waiting list. In the meantime he potentially faces permanent exclusion and has a mother living in fear at home."

She added: "So many primary schools I speak to are relying on parental fundraising and donations to pay for mental health support. It's no exaggeration to say we need a wartime effort to tackle this crisis, we need a trained counsellor in every school."

The Government has conceded it 'must do more' to address children's mental health issues during an Labour Opposition day debate in the House of Commons.

Health minister Maggie Throup defended the Government's record on the issue and said it is 'delivering record levels of investment in mental health services'.

But she added 'we know we need to be more ambitious', saying the Government has now set out a 'clear vision' for ensuring children and young people can access mental health support when needed.

Ms Throup said she accepts waiting lists are a 'source of frustration' for children and their families, and said the NHS is consulting on the 'potential to introduce a new waiting time standard so that children, young people, and their families and carers, presenting to community-based mental health services should start to receive care within four weeks from referral'.

Closing the debate, minister for children and families, Will Quince, said: "Can we do more? Yes. Can we always do more? Yes. We must do more, and we will do more."