A free minibus service to shuttle people to and from a new mass vaccination centre has been launched.

Anyone with a Covid vaccine appointment can board the minibus service, which links Westwood Cross bus hub with the vaccination site at the former Saga building off Haine Road, Ramsgate.

Stagecoach will be operating the shuttle up to every 15 minutes throughout the day, seven days a week, to cater for the hub, which is open 8am to 8pm.

It means those being dropped at Westwood Cross bus hub can be taken directly to the front door of the vaccine centre, which is a 10 to 15 minute walk away.

The first bus is at 8am, with vehicles running to and from the centre up to 7.45pm.

The shuttle bus links with other bus services from all around Thanet that call in at the Westwood Cross hub.

Joel Mitchell, managing director for Stagecoach South East, says he hopes local people will benefit from the service.

"When Craig Mackinlay rang me to ask if there was any way we could help with taking people to the front door of the vaccination centre, I was sure we could," he said.

"Within an hour our local team had sourced a bus from a neighbouring depot and we had drivers volunteering to start delivering the service.

"Since the start of the pandemic, colleagues at Stagecoach have been adapting rapidly to the challenges and changes that it brought about.

"The vaccination endeavour is one of the greatest triumphs of the modern age and everyone at Stagecoach locally is proud to play a part in the effort.

"Our local teams have worked really hard to meet passenger demand and adapted services to support key workers and others in the local community during these difficult times."

South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay added: "The new vaccination centre at the old Saga site is a fantastic facility to serve the whole of East Kent.

"At the opening on Monday, senior clinicians and officials from the NHS wondered if it might be possible to get bus routings changed to serve the centre.

"Following my call to Stagecoach, they stepped up and an even better solution was immediately found with a dedicated shuttle bus service suggested.

"My thanks go to Joel Mitchell, the managing director and his team for their rapid action to serve our community."

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet