An army of 900 NHS "vaccine ambassadors" are being deployed in shopping centres and railway stations in the run-up to Christmas to encourage people to get their Covid-19 booster jabs.

One of the first locations will be Sittingbourne this Sunday although the town still doesn't have its own walk-in centre.

Health bosses are said to be preparing an unused ward at Sheppey Community Hospital in Plover Road, Minster, for booked sessions which might be ready from Sunday.

However, Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group, which is responsible for the area's health, has so far been unable to confirm the move.

Residents from Swale currently have to travel to Chatham or Canterbury for their jabs.

A recent temporary site in a Tesco supermarket car park in Sheerness came in for criticism after people, including the elderly and vulnerable, ended up queueing outside in the cold for more than three hours to have their injections.

The "street teams" will be distributing Get Boosted Now campaign leaflets as well as information on testing and advice to limit the spread of the new Omicron variant.

All adults are now eligible for their booster provided it has been at least 12 weeks since their second jab.

Cllr Roger Truelove, leader of Swale council, said: "If we want the Christmas we have planned for, we need the booster vaccine programme to succeed.

“While many in Swale cannot work from home, those who can, should, to help minimise the chances of infection.

"We need to wear face coverings where required and if we are visiting very crowded venues it is not unreasonable, for the safety of all, to prove either our vaccine or testing status."

He added: "To try to prevent an unmanageable spike in admissions to hospitals, vaccinations are being delivered at a rapid rate. But the target set by the Prime Minister is challenging.

“There are inevitably logistical problems, principally accessing sites and also achieving the staffing needed. While there have been shortages in some parts of county, I am pleased that say that vaccine capacity is being increased on Sheppey and the local NHS should be confirming details shortly."

He said the council was offering support to the health service.

"We are working to help the most vulnerable in our community who are most impacted by the pandemic," he said and added: "We will need to learn to live with this disease. Realistically, this means accepting regulations that we would have found perverse before this pandemic struck us all.”

People can visit a walk-in centre or book via the national booking service online.