Children as young as three should take part in mass Covid testing, a local council has told schools.

Essex County Council is believed to be the first in the country to urge primary school pupils to take lateral flow tests twice a week when they return to the classroom after the October half-term holiday.

Council chiefs wrote to parents saying: “We have seen Covid-19 infections in primary school-aged children in Essex increasing over the past few weeks.

“At this rate, it is expected that some primary schools could see significant numbers of pupils infected with Covid-19.

“Throughout the pandemic, regular household testing has been encouraged, but we would now like to strengthen that advice for primary age children.”

From Monday, when children return to school after the half-term holiday, parents have been told that children aged three and above should take two lateral flow tests each week.

Under national government guidelines, secondary school pupils, aged 11 to 18, are meant to take two tests a week. But Essex Council said it now “strongly encourages” parents to test their primary aged children as well.