Walk-in vaccine appointments suspended at sites in Thames Valley

West Oxfordshire District Council previously warned of waits of more than three hours at vaccination centres

Walk-in Covid vaccinations at three sites in the Thames Valley have been suspended.

Kassam Stadium in Oxford, the Guttman Centre in Aylesbury and Broad Street Mall in Reading will now prioritise pre-booked appointments.

An Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust spokeswoman said it was to "maintain the smooth running" of services.

It comes after reports of queues across the counties following the emergence of the Omicron variant.

'Christmas trees'

Anita Sherwood, interim director for Covid operations at the trust, said: "As more people become eligible to book appointments on the National Booking System we have taken the decision to suspend our walk-in offer so that we are able to maintain the smooth running of the mass vaccination centres."

She added: "It is very encouraging to see so many people coming to our sites for their jabs every day and our teams are committed to ensuring that everyone who books gets theirs alongside a high level of care and customer service."

The announcement has been made to try and prevent people making "a wasted journey", Ms Sherwood explained and said they were always looking for ways to maximise appointment capacity.

The government has said booster jabs will be offered to everyone in England who is eligible by the end of January, with Prime Minster Boris Johnson promising new temporary vaccination centres would be "popping up like Christmas trees".

Oxfordshire's Clinical Commissioning Group said it was currently providing Covid booster jabs to people aged over 40, and others who are eligible who had their second jab at least six months ago.