Paternity test requests more than double in five years

THE number of people seeking paternity tests has more than doubled in the past five years.

Laboratory test providers say demand for the procedure - where a blood sample or DNA swab is taken at a clinic - has more than doubled since 2000, with at least 1,000 taken nationwide every year.

Many tests are used by mothers to ensure maintenance payments from fathers while fathers use the test process to help gain access to their children.