Life-saving covid vaccinations will be delivered at two venues close to Hadleigh and its surrounding villages to support local surgeries.

Colchester United's Community Stadium and a former school in Bury St Edmunds are among six new vaccination centres open across Essex and Suffolk from this week, as the NHS rapidly accelerates the number of sites it can give the crucial first dose of the vaccine.

Tim Waddington, Colchester United general manager, said: "At the very start of the pandemic we offered the stadium as a venue for whatever it could be used for by the NHS. We have supported the NHS by hosting training programmes and COVID-19 testing - we're delighted to now see vaccinations starting here."

Each of the centres can vaccinate hundreds of people a day and thousands of people each week – enabling the programme to expand as more vaccine supplies become available.

People in the top four priority groups including people aged 70 years old and over, and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, are being invited to book an appointment at the vaccination centres through the national booking service.

The centres will also be vaccinating health and care staff who are being urged to get their first dose as soon as possible to protect themselves and others.

They are among more than 1,400 vaccination sites nationally and offer an additional option to hospital hubs, GP and pharmacy-led vaccination services already offering coronavirus vaccinations across the region.

Nigel Leonard, Executive Director of Strategy and Transformation at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), which is coordinating the large vaccination centres across Mid and South Essex and Suffolk and North East Essex, said: "The opening of these centres will have a huge impact on our ability to accelerate vaccinations to the people of Essex and Suffolk and protect those most at risk as quickly as possible.

"I would like to thank my NHS colleagues, partners and everyone involved for their incredible work and dedication to enable these centres to open as quickly as possible."

The NHS is urging people only to come to a vaccination centre when invited to do so, to help ensure that priority groups are served first and to maintain safe social distancing at every venue. Please arrive no more than five minutes before your appointment.

NHS staff are also visiting those who are housebound and unable to travel to their local service or vaccination centre.