the health secretary matt hancock insists coronavirus testing is working well, but admits he's very worried about an increase in cases. the labour leader keir starmer says the government has failed to create an effective testing system. it's emerged some people with symptoms have been asked to travel more than 100 miles to get a test. if people need a test, the vast majority get it quickly and close to home, but when those testing centres are full, then obviously people are offered a test at the nearest place which one is available. the prime minister said we would have a world beating system, we haven't got an effective system, and what we are now seeing is a postcode lottery. we'll have the latest from our health editor. also this lunchtime: confusion about quarantine

for travellers. airline bosses call for testing at airports to prevent what they say will be the death of the industry. russia rejects calls for an investigation, after germany says the opposition activist alexei navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent. after months away fom the classroom, it's been a nervous start for many children finally going back to school. i'm excited to go back home and then i'm actually really sad because i've really enjoyed it today and i feel so much better. i have no nerves, they have all gone. and grow your own — how one amateur gardener has helped to feed hundreds of families in need. and coming up on bbc news: wilfried zaha, just one of several footballers subjected to racist abuse, with reports of discrimination rising by 42% in english football.

good afternoon, welcome to the bbc news at one. public health experts have warned that focussing coronavirus testing on parts of the country with a high level of cases risks missing outbreaks in other areas. it's emerged that some people have been asked to travel more than 100 miles to get a swab. the health secretary matt hancock insists that most people who need a test will be able to get one close to home and £500 million is to be spent on trials, including of a rapid saliva—based test. naomi grimley reports. until a vaccine comes along, testing is vital to get treatment to those who need it and to spot outbreaks

before they take off. but in recent days, several members of the public have been told by the government website to travel more than 100 miles to drive through testing sites. i went through the process and it came back with availability for testing in a place on the outskirts of blackburn which is over 250 miles away. so i was convinced i had got it wrong, cancelled, reprocessed, and i got exactly the same answer. testing rates in the uk are now much higher than in many other countries in europe, but as winter draws closer, the system is coming under more pressure, particularly as schools resume and sniffles circulate. currently 17% of tests for the public are done via home testing kits, though people don't always send them back. the rest is done via drive—through or

walk—in centres. and in high—risk areas, mobile testing units. officials admit the testing website may need adjusting to long car journeys. ministers say the public may need to keep trying when booking a test but overall they argue the surveillance system is working. a test but overall they argue the surveillance system is workingm people need a test, the vast majority get it quickly and close to home, but when those testing centres are full, then obviously people are offered a test at the nearest place which one is available. latest figures show more than 6700 people tested positive in england last week. that is an increase of 6% on the previous one. and the highest weekly numbers since earlyjune. the opposition says testing needs to be much better as the season turns. the prime minister said we would have a world beating system, we haven't got enough as to —— we haven't got an

effective system. we want it to improve but the government is way too slow on it. part of the government's strategy is to pour intensive testing into the area seeing spikes, and we have seen in leicester over the past few weeks. but then there is less capacity in other places and that is worrying some health experts who fear their next surge could be missed. we are firefighting rather than proactively looking for where case numbers are going up, then doing something about it. ie, identifying, find the contacts, remove them out of circulation. we are unable to do it if we are not extensively testing. today, the government has announced it is giving £500 million to boost trials of a 20 minute saliva test. many believe mass, quick turnaround testing is the best way to resume oui’ testing is the best way to resume our daily lives. naomi grimley, bbc news. our health editor hugh pym is with me now...

what sort of response is there to the idea that some people are being asked to travel really long distances to get a test? government sources have acknowledged that there needs to be an adjustment to the system, so if there is nothing immediately available, the system should not send you hundreds of miles, it really isn't workable. they have said that the maximum would be 75 miles, which is still a long way. we heard matt hancock, the health secretary, say there that they will be areas of the country where there seem to be at lower risk, infections are lower, there will be prioritisation elsewhere and there may be some areas where you do have to keep trying, keep on booking, and you will maybe get something later in the day. so an acknowledgement there that there is acknowledgement there that there is a capacity issue, that actually the demand for testing has grown substantially in recent months, up 60%. they say a lot more capacity is coming on stream, there is a new mega— lab known as a lighthouse lab which is going to be opened in the

midlands to help cope with that demand. what ministers are focusing on is mass testing, the long—term goal whereby you can have a home test kit at your workplace or home, doa test kit at your workplace or home, do a saliva test, for example, you get a very rapid result and you do that every week, even if you don't have symptoms, and that will enable people to be reasonably confident that they are not carrying the virus. but that is a very long goal, we have pilot schemes which are being rolled out further but getting to that mass testing may take some time. right now, there are clearly some issues in some areas with demand exceeding the supply of testing. all right, for thank you. —— for now, thank you. leaders of the airline industry have accused the government of overseeing the demise of uk aviation. and the head of heathrow airport and of virgin atlantic have called for ministers to support covid testing at airports, in order that quarantine measures for travellers could be lifted. there's speculation that portugal may soon be removed

from the government's list of safe countries. our transport correspondent tom burridge has more. some brits who went over to holiday in zakynthos this summer have travelled home with the virus. so from this morning, anyone flying back to scotland from anywhere in greece has to quarantine. mark is heading home on sunday. i'm flying back to glasgow. it's got an infection rate of 21, i believe. i'm coming from a country that has an infection rate of 15 so i'm going back from a country that's got a lower rate than the country i'm going back to, but yet i have to isolate. for now, the welsh government says just those coming in from the island of zakynthos have to self—isolate. the uk government has been concerned by portugal, where the infection rate is worse than greece. but some of the biggest names in uk aviation are warning that if travel abroad doesn't open up significantly soon, then the economic fallout will be huge.

i fear that if we don't act now, more jobs will be lost. 500,000 people in the uk rely on travel and tourism so action and leadership by the uk government and industry, which has always been at the forefront, is essential. week in, week out, we lose more destinations. with the travel quarantine tightening again, the man running glasgow, aberdeen and southampton airports says the sector faces ruin. frankly, i think at this moment in time, the uk government is overseeing the demise of the aviation industry in the uk. we are seeing more job losses than with the demise of the coal industry in the '805. that surely can not be an accolade that any government would like to have. it's really quiet at heathrow right now, but aviation bosses say the government could change that by bringing in testing for covid at airports. but the facility already built at heathrow isn't being used because it doesn't have the government's backing. a passenger arriving into the uk

will have booked a test online. they would then provide a saliva swab test to a trained nurse. they should get the results of that test within 2a hours, and they would be given a kit so they could do a second test at home in several days. two negative results would cut your quarantine period short. for months, ministers have been considering the idea. the industry wants action now. it's something that is working for over 30 other countries around the world. this is the way the international standards are going. the uk government need to get behind testing as an alternative to quarantine to save millions ofjobs in this country. the uk government says the travel quarantine has been vital at keeping cases of the virus out. ministers say the impact of testing is limited. if you test on day one on return, the scientists reckon that we find only about 7% of the total cases. so you still have to quarantine. and, in fact, the countries around

the world that have introduced this testing on arrival are now moving away from it and doing the testing much later. the government says it's provided unprecedented support for the aviation industry. but this was check—in at glasgow airport this morning. there's no sign that international travel will pick up soon. tom burridge, bbc news. in a moment, we'll speak to lorna gordon at edinburgh airport, but first to gavin lee, who's in faro in portugal... as we heard, concern about the rate they're in portugal. yes. the portuguese authorities estimate there are more than 30,000 british tourists who have travelled in the last 12 days. since that travel window opened to portugal will stop you have a couple of issues now, one is that many are in the situation we have seen with france and spain and croatia. they have to work out if the announcement comes today as

expected, how do they get back before the flights on saturday morning. the flights are more expensive and they are becoming fully booked. we have groups who stand to big holiday, friends haven't been able to come out. others said they have double booked, a flight on friday and still in back on the net but still having paid more. when people have suddenly found out they have quarantine in the uk, there seems to be acceptance. it is still the season at the moment, big four golfers and it is quieter with children back at schools. they say it is 13% of the economy which they say they will lose out big time if the announcement comes this afternoon. all right, gavin, thank you. lorna, at edinburgh airport, we have heard angerfrom airlines at edinburgh airport, we have heard anger from airlines and airports. bring us up to date with what you are hearing where you are. greece is the latest country to be added to

the latest country to be added to the scottish government's holiday hotspot quarantine list within the last hour, the boss of edinburgh airport has published an open letter in which he calls the quarantine policy a travel ban in all but name. he says it is ineffective and on workable and will be the cause of incredibly dark days ahead for the aviation industry, putting tens of thousands of jobs at risk. nicola sturgeon, scotland's first minister, has responded to that in her daily coronavirus briefing, she says she understands and appreciates the damage and wants to work with the sector. but of course she has repeatedly warned people that the travel advice may change at very short notice, as has happened in this situation, and she says right now the advice is clear and that is that quarantine for 1h days is the most effective way of mitigating the risk of bringing in the virus from another country. lorna gordon and

gavin lee, thank you. the online retailer, amazon, says it's going to create another 7,000 permanentjobs in the uk this year, to meet growing demand. the figure is on top of 3,000 positions already announced this year. it will take the company's total uk workforce to more than 40,000. despite a recent rise in house prices, mortgage providers are cutting the number of low deposit deals because of the economic fall—out from coronavirus. lenders are setting stricter conditions fearing defaults. some have already said they would not currently consider applications from people on furlough and who does not have a return to work date. russia has rejected accusations that it's responsible for poisoning one of president putin's leading critics, alexei navalny. there are international demands for a full and transparent investigation, after germany said it had proof that mr navalny had been poisoned with a novichok nerve agent. the opposition activist is still

in a coma in a hospital in berlin. steve rosenberg reports. moscow is under growing international pressure to answer one question — who ordered an attack on the kremlin's most vocal critic with a chemical nerve agent? alexei navalny has been a thorn in president putin's side for years. an anti—corruption campaigner who claims that russia's leaders are thieves. last month, he fell ill on a flight from siberia to moscow. in a coma, he was eventually airlifted to a hospital in berlin. the german government now believes mr navalny had been poisoned with novichok, the same type of nerve agent used against former russian spy sergei skripal and his daughter — suggesting the russian state may be involved. and how does russia respond to that?

"there are no facts. there's no evidence," says the foreign ministry spokesperson on russian tv. "it's an information campaign against moscow." and today, the kremlin had this message for its critics. "don't rush to blame us, or put new sanctions on russia. we're not to blame." the trouble is, under vladimir putin, the kremlin always says it's not to blame, wven when the evidence ——says it's not to blame, even when the evidence suggests it is. and the international community is losing patience. the russians really don't care. they're not too bothered about collateral damage. sanctions, again, don't seem to mean an awful lot to the russians, but i think what we must do is carry on with sanctions, particularly financial ones. if russians, key oligarchs and supporters, start losing their money, i expect that probably will mean more to putin than anything else.

some kremlin critics are calling on germany to halt this gas pipeline project with russia. that would send a strong message to moscow, but the problem is much of europe relies on russian energy. meanwhile, alexei navalny remains in a serious condition in hospital. expect moscow to continue to deny everything. but if mr navalny was attacked with a chemical weapon, the questions to the kremlin won't be going away. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. as the campaign continues for november's us presidential election, donald trump, who's a critic of postal voting, has suggested that people in the battle ground state of north carolina should try to vote twice, once in person and once by post, to test the system. voting more than once is illegal. his comments come as his democratic challengerjoe biden is due to travel to kenosha, to meet the family ofjacob blake, who was shot in the back by police. gary o'donoghue is in washington.

still two months to go but we have a strong sense of the tone of all of this, gary. yes, we do, and i think this, gary. yes, we do, and i think this issue around voting is becoming a central part of donald trump's strategy in the run—up to november three. yesterday suggesting people in north carolina should mail their vote in and go and vote in person, which is not just vote in and go and vote in person, which is notjust a legal of course but a sort of cornerstone of the democratic process in pretty much every country around the world. one person, one vote. interestingly his attorney general was asked about the quote afterwards and couldn't bring himself either to say voting twice like that deliberately was illegal. so you can see the sense in which the trump campaign is prepared to push on this issue, particularly i think because they may be laying the ground for a challenge come november three, depending on the nature of

the outcome. meanwhile, the battle ground is also on the issue of black lives matter and the violence from police officers towards black people. joe biden will visit kenosha today where jacob blake was shot seven times in the back as we know and paralysed from the waist downwards. this comes against the background of another police video that has emerged of an unarmed black man handcuffed and naked being asphyxiated on the ground in new york back in march. something his family is now calling for the prosecution of police officers there too. gary o'donoghue, thank you, in washington. the time is 19 minutes past one. our top story this lunchtime... the health secretary, matt hancock, insists coronavirus testing is working well but admits he's very worried about an increase in cases. and coming up, how this year's london marathon will look very different. coming up on bbc news:

lionel messi's father and agent jorge arrives in barcelona for talks with the club as he attempts to extricate his son from his contract. millions of pupils have returned to the classroom in england and wales for the first time since lockdown in march. much about the school day has changed since then, with measures introduced to keep children and teachers safe. for pupils starting secondary school, there are new rules to be learned as well as new friends to be made. geeta pendse reports. good morning, how are you doing? it is their first day back, but for these year sevens, it's also their first day at secondary school. and with so many safety changes too, there are mixed feelings. it was a bit of a stretch waking up early to go to school. i've been feeling excited to come back to school because we have

been off for so long. i'm a bit nervous, but i'm not as nervous, because i'm doing it with everyone else. it's been six weeks and i'm actually really nervous. you are going to have a proper tour, not a virtual tour, a proper tour of the school. year seven are the first to return to stjohn talbot‘s with the full school back by friday. arrivals are staggered, with form groups led in one at a time. all the form groups are now in their classrooms, they've all hand sanitised on the way in, and they are being shown a video which they would not normally do which is all about health and safety measures. you know, where they can go, the one—way system. and they have also got a planner which again they wouldn't normally get but this time it includes lots of information on health and safety, so there is a lot to take in. a tape marks where the teacher can stand to observe social distancing, with each year forming a bubble and moving from one class to the next at the same time. the school advice here is to wear

masks in corridors and communal spaces indoors, and most seem to be. with so much to take in, the first break time is a chance to relax. it is actually going really well. the teacher's really, really friendly and i'm with most of my friends, so it's really comfortable and i've settled in really well. actually, i'm feeling pretty happy. i'm glad to be back, to be honest with you. it is quite isolating to be at home. and teaching online is really not the same as having the children. a recent survey suggests children in england are three months behind in their studies, so catching up is key. it is something the new head here is aware of. over time, in this term, we are confident that what will go on in the classroom will help to identify where there may be students who have fallen behind, and then where we need to we will put the plans in place, either through the classroom or beyond the classroom, where needed. back in class and the last subject is maths, so is it

ten out of ten for school? it's been really fun, like, meeting new teachers and everyone and making new friends. i'm excited to go back home and then i'm actually really sad because i have really enjoyed it today. what's changed is i have actually got to know people very well and i feel so much better. i have no nerves, they have all gone. right this way, please. that is the first day done, just the rest of the year to go now. geeta pendse, bbc news, whitchurch. many people who work in drug rehabilitation in scotland are in favour of legal consumption facilities — spaces where users can inject safely under supervision. one was proposed for glasgow three years ago, but it was blocked by the uk government. now, a former addict has taken matters into his own hands to try to force a change in the law. chris clements reports.

peter krykant is a heroin addict who has been in recovery for 20 years. until recently, he worked for a charity tackling addiction. now, he is preparing this van to take it onto the streets of glasgow to be a place where addicts can come to inject drugs. we say in scotland we are treating drug addiction as a health problem, we say it is a public health emergency. four people a day are currently, on average, dying every single day in this country directly from a drug overdose. this city has suffered the worst outbreak of hiv the uk has seen for 30 years. users are injecting in lanes and doorways, under bridges, in the filthiest of conditions. three years ago, the city tried to open a facility where addicts could take drugs under supervision to prevent overdoses, to give them access to services. despite support from the scottish government, the idea was rejected by the uk government which controls drug policy.

tired of waiting, peter says he has decided to act. on the streets of glasgow, he engages with local users. claire comes to visit the van, she has been sleeping rough in glasgow for one year and using drugs forfive. the places i've been to in glasgow, you wouldn't even think it. you go in and it'sjust disgusting, thoroughly disgusting. i have been there with somebody who has had an overdose, yes. it is scary. despite his claims the van is a safe alternative for people like claire, it won't have the ability to test the drugs users are bringing. is it not the case that you are creating a place where somebody can engage in harmful behaviour and criminal behaviour? i completely accept the fact that i am essentially breaking the law, however, the law dates back to an act from 1971 which is outdated. ultimately, if we have one of these establishments running with all the services that need to be involved, that is where we can engage people.

in order for a change to happen, sometimes we need to disobey unjust laws. the home office told us it has no plans to change its policy on drug consumption facilities, anyone running one would be committing a range of offences, and that it supports an evidence—based approach to reducing drug related harm. legal drug consumption facilities have been hailed as life—saving in other countries, but is this really the answer for a city and a country facing yet another record year for drug deaths? chris clements, bbc news, glasgow. the organisers of the london marathon have released more details about this year's race, which will be held next month after being postponed from april. around 80 elite competitors will take part, and are preparing by living in a bio—secure bubble. joe wilson has been speaking to the marathon's director. follow these footsteps. 19 laps of saintjames's park, this year's marathon —

very different, but, look, still london. couldn't get more iconic in terms of where we are, but it is a quick course. this was one of the courses and we were part of the organisation team that put on the ineos 1:59 challenge where eliud kipchoge, who will be coming here on the 11th of october, the first man ever to run under two hours for a marathon, and this is one of the courses we looked at. it isn't as quick as vienna... are you telling me it is going to be a 1:59 london marathon? i'm not telling you it is 1:59, i am telling you it is a quick course. before the competitors get to the race itself, they are going to be staying in a hotel at a secret location with its own ground where they can prepare and where they can be tested. it will be their own bio—secure bubble. just to clarify, if there is a positive test before a competitor comes from east africa, for example, they don't get on the plane? correct. if there is a positive test once they get here, what happens then? they get sent back. they get sent back so there is no chance of competing. absolutely. if they get a positive test

on the friday, two days beforehand, they also cannot compete. now, st james's park, right in the heart of london, is a public place and will remain open to the public on london marathon day, but the organisers don't want thousands of people coming here trying to get a view of the london marathon. so actually where i am standing about here, there is going to be a big screen. so although the race itself will be going on on the street, come to the park, you won't be able to see it. with the live bbc coverage starting at 7am, all the way through, all three races, until 3pm in the afternoon, absolutely the best place is going to be to watch it on the bbc. you heard it there. well, past victoria's memorial, the marathon will again end on the mall — that at least is just the same. joe wilson, bbc news, central london. gardens were an escape for many of us during lockdown, with lots of people taking up growing their own fruit and veg. an abundance of home grown produce gave one woman an idea to help others —

she started donating to a fresh food bank. alison freeman reports from field to fork via the food bank. sue's surplus of garden grown goods are just some of the fresh fruit and veg which are now being distributed to the most in need. i am more than happy to share what i've got — my time and my produce, with everybody. i think everybody has the right to have fresh food and fresh food is so expensive. this is a way of helping people to access fresh food that can't normally afford it. every week, sue is one of 200 home and allotment growers in northumberland who donate to the hexham fresh food bank. their produce is gathered at a local shop before being given to food bank volunteers to hand out. this was all the idea of

ginnie o'farrell, who saw lockdown was giving people the time to grow lots of fruit and vegetables. she decided they could be shared with those who might be forced to rely on more traditional tinned and dry supplies. for some of our more unusual products, then people have actually started labelling, writing recipes, telling people what to do with them, so everybody can access good, fresh produce. oh, that looks brilliant. is it ready for the pan? rosie is a single mum of three on a low income. the food bank has enabled her to give nutritious food to her children. she was quite excited about it because i have tried growing vegetables myself, which i'm not very good at, but being able to receive free produce, it is fantastic and it is a good way of showing the kids where the food comes from. it is hoped other growers will follow suit across the country, sharing not only their food but their sense of community. and all this is happening with food that might have gone to waste.