BIDDULPH Leisure Centre is distributing home Covid testing packs as part of a new initiative.

Health chiefs are ramping up the availability of tests in Staffordshire to ensure more people get regular coronavirus checks as restrictions are eased. They want people to book a Covid test twice a week, even if they have no symptoms.

The leisure centre is one of several venues where residents can access the community test and collect offer with kits available for collection on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

A Staffordshire County Council spokesperson said: "We know that one in three people who have the virus show no symptoms, so it is important we identify more of the "silent spreaders" of the virus if we are to break the chain of infection.

"While the roll out of the vaccine has brought hope, it will be several months before everyone is vaccinated and many more months before the full benefit.

"That's why we need to keep testing even if you have had the vaccine."

A network of Community Testing Centres and Testing Pop-Up sites have been established across Staffordshire.

The test and collect facility is also available at the Seabridge Centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme (every day), Brough Park Leisure Centre in Leek (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays) and South Moorlands Leisure Centre in Cheadle (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays).

People can also collect two kits from the national testing sites (between 2.30pm and 8pm only), including the Bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent.