A WIRRAL company is at the forefront of the battle against Covid-19.

Pro-Lab Diagnostics, based in Bromborough, has supplied 200,000 tests so far and predicts that it can increase capacity enabling it to produce as many as 450,000 tests per week.

So far the tests have been provided across 34 NHS Trusts, but the firm is in talks with other Trusts to expand its reach.

The firm employs 25 people locally and has a partner company in Spain.

The tests offered by Pro-Lab Diagnostics are called RT-PCR kits or 'swab tests' and can detect coronavirus in patients.

Each test has to be performed in a specialist laboratory with trained staff and it currently takes around three hours to obtain a result, with the ability to test 96 samples at a time.

Wallasey MP Angela Eagle and Wirral South MP Alison McGovern held a video conference with senior members of Pro-Lab Diagnostics to learn more about the company and hear about the work they have been doing during the coronavirus crisis.

Angela Eagle, said: "It is great that we have a local company doing such important work to help during this unprecedented time.

"Biomedical scientists, alongside manufacturers and suppliers of diagnostic tests are carrying out vital work during this crisis to tackle coronavirus, and even though they are not frontline staff, they are also exposed to considerable risks through testing and working to identify how we can tackle this virus, and they also deserve recognition and our thanks for this work."

Alison McGovern, said: "The effort against Covid-19 needs testing capacity to be increased, and for the North West a significant proportion of those tests will be sourced in Bromborough.

"These scientists are doing crucial work that has the potential to save lives. We should be very grateful to them."