Coronavirus rates have risen again in South West London over the past week.

The latest statistics released by Public Health England for the week September 7 to September 13 show the rate in Richmond has risen to 17.3 new cases per 100,000 people from 15.7 last week.

Wandsworth jumped to 23 cases per 100,000 people, from 16.5 last week. Kingston has also seen a small increase from 13.7 to 14.3 cases per 100,000 people.

The London boroughs with the highest rates are Redbridge with 34.2 cases per 100,000 and Hounslow with 32.5 cases per 100,000.

According to a document called London region phased approach to outbreak response reproduced in a report by City of London and Hackney's Public Health Team, boroughs with between 20-25 cases per 100,000 people are deemed 'areas of national concern.'

This means that they will see increased access to mobile testing units and wider testing and screening options as well as targeted campaigns – which appears to now be happening in Wandsworth.

These testing units are mainly drive through, but there is the option to request to go by foot.

Shortage of testing?

There have been concerns this week about difficulties getting tested in the capital, with some people saying they were advised to say they lived in Scotland to secure a test at Twickenham Stadium.

Daniel Wright, from Kingston, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that last Sunday evening he tried to book a test online, but it didn't work.

He said: "We were offered a slot, got to the confirmation page, clicked confirm and it went back to the home page. 90 minutes on hold later we were told by the helpline that this meant we didn't have the test as we had no QR code.

"So instead we used an Inverness postcode to book a test up there, then took the QR code to Twickenham where they did the test no problem. The whole place was empty."

The government has since said people should not "game the system" and they are addressing the issue with postcodes.

However, it warned that problems with testing and lab capacity might last a few weeks.

Richmond Council's leader Gareth Roberts has spoken about the problems with testing this week.

In a video message he said: "We know that testing is a problem, it's a national issue, and we are working with the Department of Health in order to identify new testing centres.

"But the government really does need to step up their game in both providing test centres and laboratory facilities to analyse those tests. And we can help too. One way in which we can help is by not applying for a test if we are not exhibiting symptoms.

"We know that there is a large demand for tests for people who are not exhibiting symptoms and that is simply putting a strain on the system and stopping those people who do need tests from getting them."

Government position

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said Test and Trace is "working" and capacity is "the highest it has ever been."

But they acknowledged there has been a "significant demand for tests including from people who do not have symptoms and are not otherwise eligible."

They added: "New booking slots and home testing kits are made available daily for those who need them and we are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, and prioritising at-risk groups.

"Our laboratories are processing more than a million tests a week and we recently announced new facilities and technology to process results even faster.

"If you do not have symptoms and are not eligible to get a test you can continue to protect yourself if you wash your hands, wear a face covering and follow social distancing rules."

More Covid-19 coverage:

Twickenham Stadium covid testing centre is closing

Schools use stewards to enforce mask wearing at collection times

New advice on covid testing in Richmond as country faces shortage

'Sophisticated' Covid-19 scam promises people cheaper council tax

1 in 6 in Richmond saw loved one fall ill to covid