TWO new COVID-19 mobile testing units are due to open in Christchurch and Poole next week.

The new facilities will be located in the Dolphin Swimming Poole car park in Poole and the Two Riversmeet car park in Christchurch.

The Poole site will open on December 7, while the Christchurch centre will open on December 8 and availability will be posted on the national portal, which is the only way to gain appointments at the units.

Residents will now have increased access to testing and both units are accessible by car and foot.

Both sites will operate on scheduled days, typically two days a week, on a rotational basis with other mobile sites in the area.

These include Wallisdown and Boscombe (Hawkwood Road) as well as sites across Dorset in Wareham, Bridport, Weymouth and Dorchester.

Local people are also served by the regional Covid-19 testing site at Creekmoor, which is accessed by car only, and a local testing site at Lansdowne, which is walk-in only.

Councillor Nicola Greene, BCP Council portfolio holder for Covid resilience, said: “I am very pleased that local residents now have access to an increased number of Covid-19 testing sites.

“The opening of the two new mobile units in Christchurch and Poole will particularly benefit residents living in and around those areas who may have previously found it hard to access existing sites.

“With a regional testing centre in Creekmoor and additional units across Dorset, local residents are now well served if they develop symptoms of Covid-19 and require a test.”

Tests at all sites can only be booked in advance via the national portal at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119 for those without internet access.