VACCINE centres will be set up across the Braintree district once enough jabs become available, a council leader has said.

Graham Butland admits he understands concerns among residents at the lack of information about the vaccine programme and insists talks are taking place about setting up a centre in the future.

The Braintree Council leader says he was inundated with messages at the weekend after the Sunday Times revealed the Braintree and Witham constituencies were two of 118 in England without a vaccine centre.

Mr Butland says the communication from NHS England hasn’t been up to standard yet but has called for calm amid increasing frustration that residents will have to travel out of the area to get a vaccine.

He said: “Braintree is not being penalised in any way and I want to reassure residents there will be vaccine centres set up.

“The problem is there’s no point setting them up if there isn’t enough vaccine. The rollout has only just begun but inevitably people want to know when they can have it.

“Residents will be contacted by the NHS when it is their turn. Understandably people in care homes and the most vulnerable are being prioritised.

“What we don’t want is people ringing up their GP surgery asking when it will be their turn.”

Mr Butland said it was likely the vaccine would be administered at some doctors surgeries in the district as and when there was enough supply.

However, he has warned some residents won’t necessarily receive the vaccine at their local GP.

Some residents in the district have already had the first of their two jabs.

Among them is 88-year-old Greta Taylor, of Hatfield Peverel, who was given the jab at Maldon Council offices last week.

She said: “I was impressed with the volunteer marshals quiet, kind and efficient organisation.

“The ‘Dunkirk generation’ were in good spirits, stoically queuing for their appointments. They had only been contacted yesterday – it was a very swift operation.”

But not all residents have been happy with the vaccination programme.

A resident in Great Yeldham told the BBC on Monday he was facing an 80-mile round trip to Basildon to get the vaccine because there was no facility set up in the Braintree area.

He added: “There isn’t any alternative at the moment and I think quite frankly it’s an absolute shambles that people living where I do should have to go to Basildon to get the protection.”

The Mid Essex Clinical Commissioing Group and NHS England has been contacted for comment.