A new rapid community testing site opened in central Romford yesterday, offering rapid Covid-19 testing for anybody without symptoms.

The site at 40 High Street, opposite Havering Museum, is for anyone currently working in essential retail and offices in Romford town centre and Romford Market.

Appointments can be booked online through Havering's Covid-19 testing page, and drop-in slots will be available throughout the day.

You can also collect rapid home testing kits from any of Havering’s rapid testing sites, which produce results in 20 minutes, as well as the borough's local testing sites, which sees results turned around in 24 hours.

From today, there are five rapid testing sites available across Havering, including one directly opposite Rainham Station for the south of the borough.

The sites in South Hornchurch and Gidea Park libraries are no longer available from today.

Cllr Damian White, leader of Havering Council, said: “It is up to all of us to do our bit and make testing part of our daily schedules, especially as we follow the government’s roadmap and continue to reopen non-essential retail and hospitality businesses.

“It is so quick and easy to get tested, and we are working on opening up more localised sites to make rapid testing as convenient as possible for everybody.”

Testing is only available for those not showing symptoms. If you have the symptoms of Covid-19, do not visit this site - you should self-isolate immediately and book a test online or by calling 119.

The site is open from 8am to 5.30pm on weekdays, and 10am to 5.30pm on weekends.

View the testing page at https://www.havering.gov.uk/covid19testing