The council in Richmond has issued new guidance on getting tested for Covid-19.

Shortages in testing capability has been reported across the UK, with the Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying it could take weeks to fix.

A combination of a rise in demand for tests and delays in processing swabs in labs is causing the problem.

Richmond Council tweeted: "As the NHS manages this period of high demand, it is especially important that if individuals DO NOT have symptoms and have not specifically been advised to take a test, do not apply as they could be taking a test away from someone who really needs it."

Last week Mr Hancock said the average distance that people have to travel to a test site is 5.8 miles.

Twickenham Stadium is the regional testing facility for South West London, and in Richmond a pop-up testing centre has been run every three days across August and September.

But Twickenham MP Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrats) said the best way to get a test here is to say you live in Scotland.

"It's unbelievable some of my constituents can only access local Twickenham Covid-19 testing site by entering in a postcode from Aberdeen.

"Forget "world beating", the UK's testing system seems barely functional right now.

"I asked @MattHancock how he will get a grip on these issues."

Last week resident Con O'Brien tweeted: "Only 2 cars at Twickenham Stadium Testing Centre yesterday at midday @theJeremyVine staff looking very bored."

Ms Wilson said today in her latest newsletter: "Many people have contacted me with concerns about accessing testing locally and I am pressing ministers constantly about the lack of capacity in the system – the issue is lab processing capacity, not test centre capacity."

Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney said "rapid testing, tracing and isolating" was needed to get the virus "back under control".

The government has said that people should be directed to their nearest testing centre.

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