An arts centre has officially opened its doors as an NHS mass vaccination centre to help the borough’s battle against coronavirus.

Enfield Council made Dugdale Centre available to support vaccination efforts at pharmacies and doctors surgeries across the borough.

Around a fifth of the borough’s residents – more than 64,000 people – receive their first dose of a vaccine so far.

Additionally, more than 80 per cent of residents aged over 70, 66 per cent of those aged 65-69 years old and 65 per cent of the borough’s clinically vulnerable 16-69 year olds have already received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccination.

And the vaccination drive will be boosted by the opening of the centre in Palace Exchange Shopping Centre.

The Dugdale boasts a 139-seat studio theatre and is home to the Museum of Enfield.

Cllr Nesil Caliskan, Enfield Council leader, said: “I am delighted Enfield Council has been able to make the Dugdale Centre available as a vaccination centre for the NHS to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic and protect our borough’s communities.

“I would urge residents to attend their vaccination appointments when they are invited by the NHS and I would encourage everyone to continue to follow the hands, face, space guidance after they have been vaccinated so that we can beat this pandemic once and for all and return to normal as rapidly as we can.

“We are utterly committed to doing everything we can to protect residents during the pandemic and we will continue to work with our partners in the NHS to keep our communities safe."

UK government figures show 8.5 per cent of the borough's residents have tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of the coronavirus pandemic – a total of 29,022 infections.