Huge queues have formed at one of Kent's walk-in booster clinics after Boris Johnson's Omicron emergency warning.

Hundreds of people descended on Sevenoaks Pharmacy today following the PM's address to the nation on Sunday night – with some waiting several hours.

Queues of people waiting for a jab in Sevenoaks

The pharmacy in Dartford Road, Sevenoaks, was one of just two in the county – the second is in Canterbury – where walk-ins for vaccines were advertised as taking place today.

Its opening hours had to be extended to meet the demand, as the queue stretched up the road, with people waiting several hours.

KentOnline reporter Alex Jee was among those in the queue, after arriving at 10.45am.

"When I arrived I actually wasn't too confident of being able to get my jab done, especially when I actually got there and saw the sheer size of the queue," he said.

"The mood was good for most of the wait. It did become a bit fraught during the third hour or so when the cold really started to take effect.

"And don't let the long wait time fool you; this was a thoroughly efficient and impressive operation given that there was just one pharmacist giving jabs to thousands of people.

"She was great with me as an absolute needle-phobe and made the experience great."

He eventually received his jab and was able to leave by just before 3pm.

Elsewhere, some of those seeking to have their booster were able to avoid long waits.

'Well Boris said go and get your jab quick, so the staff could hardly turn us away.'

KentOnline news editor Lynn Cox said: "I saw Boris' address to the nation last night and so I thought I'd try my luck to get my booster at the Pentagon vaccination centre in Chatham, as that's where I had both jabs previously.

"I knew it was by appointment only, but in light of what the PM said, I thought I'd give it a go.

"I had booked an appointment via the NHS website for January 9 but after what Boris said, I wanted to get mine done as soon as I could.

"I arrived and there were about 10 people in front of me in the queue, a helpful security guard outside the vaccination centre asked me if I had an appointment for today, no was the answer, so he invited me to join the walk-in queue.

"A few seconds later a man came out with a rather loud voice to say they were not officially accepting walk-ins but they would try and fit us in between those who had appointments.

"Well Boris said go and get your jab quick, so the staff could hardly turn us away. I think I waited another 10 minutes or so before I got in and within a few minutes more, I was sitting down taking my jacket off and a nurse was pushing the needle in my arm."

In Canterbury, dozens of people were spotted queuing outside the vaccination centre at the sea cadets base in Vauxhall Road for their boosters.

Visitors to the building say those waiting in the lengthy line for walk-in appointments were forced to wait considerably longer for their jabs than anyone who had booked a slot.

Boughton resident Eddie Kiernan, 47, said: “The queue for the walk-ins was very large, but the booking queue was very short – I waited less than five minutes.

“I spoke to some of the staff and one of the chaps I was speaking to said this morning the queue was all the way up the road so people were waiting for maybe an hour and a half.”

Meanwhile, 61-year-old Ian Curd, from Hales Place, estimated there was about 100 people waiting outside for a walk-in slot, adding: “Most of the people who were in the walk-in queue when I got there were still there when I came out.”

A statement from NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group, which oversees healthcare in the county, warned people to expect to have to wait.

It said: "Queues are expected outside to clinics, and we recommend that anyone attending dresses appropriately for the cold weather."

The CCG's chief nurse Paula Wilkins also called for people to bear with under-pressure staff.

"I ask they be treated with the patience and respect they deserve during this very challenging time."

Long queues for jabs in Canterbury

She added: "There may be more queues than we would like and people may have to wait to have their vaccine, but I can assure you everyone involved in the vaccination programme across Kent and Medway is committed to making sure everyone can access the Covid-19 vaccine."

The long waits come after a difficult start to the government's efforts to speed up the booster roll-out in the face of increasing cases of the new Omicron variant.

This morning, the NHS website crashed after being inundated by people attempting to book vaccine appointments.

From today, everyone aged 18 and over is eligible for a booster vaccination, as long as it has been at least three months since their second dose, or 28 days since a positive Covid-19 test.

The National Booking Service is due to be updated on Wednesday to allow 18 to 29-year-olds to book.

All those aged 30 to 39 can, in theory, book from today and anyone eligible can access walk-in vaccination clinics. However, not all clinics are providing a walk-in service.

Anyone looking to attend should check availability first by clicking here.