ELDERLY residents are being urged to “sit tight” and wait for vaccine appointments after a taxi firm revealed it has had requests for lifts to London.

Stephen Noakes, general manager of AC Radio Cabs in Southend, said customers have been asking for quotes for journeys between Leigh and Sidcup in London.

Residents had been told areas in Sidcup and the Excel Centre in East London are the closest sites available for a vaccine jab - a near 60-mile round trip.

But the NHS Southend Clinical Commissioning Group has advised if people can’t get a Covid vaccine nearer to them, they should “sit tight” until more appointments become available.

Mr Noakes said: “Over the last couple of weeks we have had few of our customers calling us asking about the possibility of going to crazy places to get their vaccines.

“They are telling us that they are being told that these are the closest venues available, as all of those in and around Southend are fully booked. Please don’t get me wrong I believe the Government is doing a great job with the vaccine roll-out.”

Mr Noakes added the residents had decided to wait for a closer appointment - which he agreed is the sensible thing to do - but shows how desperate elderly residents are to be vaccinated and to see their families.

The Southend Clinical Commissioning Group advise that if the national booking system is not showing more sites closer to the user the appointments are full.

However, people should not travel long distances for an appointment and talk to their GP to be in contact about arranging another appointment at a later date at a closer site.

The group say this may take longer but do not advise longer journeys for vaccines.

Recent weeks have seen a major roll-out of vaccines in south Essex, with a specialist centre in Runwell. About 80 per cent of over-80s are now vaccinated.