People across Sefton Borough can now benefit from two, walk-through Local Testing Sites for coronavirus.

Located opposite Bootle Town Hall and at Southport Town Hall, the two, fully accessible sites are the first in Merseyside.

Open from 8am to 8pm, they provide easy access to COVID-19 tests for people who do not have access to a car and for those who have coronavirus symptoms and should not travel by public transport.

Each test Centre has between four and eight testing bays which can each test up to three people an hour.

Users will be asked to self-swab when attending. They will also need to wear a mask or face covering.

Unlike the three-day Mobile Units, which people have already used to take over 7,000 tests at Sefton’s five locations, the Local Testing Sites in Bootle and Southport will be open for several months.

To use the walk-through process, people first need to book a test.

You can do this online at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119 or Sefton Council’s Contact Centre on 0345 140 0845.

In Bootle, the site is in the parking area opposite the Town Hall. In Southport, access to the Town Hall’s Test Centre is via the Corporation Street entrance.

There is on-street pay-and-display parking nearby for those people travelling to the Local Testing Sites by car.