BLACKBURN Cathedral is to start operating as a large coronavirus vaccination hub in the coming weeks, it is understood.

Mass vaccinations centres at seven sites across England – including sports venues and London’s ExCel convention centre – will begin operations next week, Downing Street has confirmed.

Other venues in England have also offered the use of their facilities to help roll out the vaccine including Blackburn Cathedral, which will begin operations on the provisional date of January 18, the PA news agency understands.

Last month the Lancashire Telegraph reported that if the Cathedral were to get the go ahead as a site it would be able to offer vaccinations 12 hours a day, seven days a week to up to 1,700 people per week.

The Dean of Blackburn, the Very Revd Peter Howell Jones said at the time: “At the heart of the Christian faith is love and hospitality, and a God that cares for all people.

“It is only right we offer our building as a safe and accessible space for this exciting inoculation plan and be prepared to serve the nation in these times of deep uncertainty and fear.”

The mass vaccination hubs will be set up in London, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Surrey and Stevenage, Number 10 said.

Venues including the Etihad Tennis Centre in Manchester and Epsom Racecourse in Surrey will be converted into regional centres in an attempt to meet the Government target of vaccinating 14 million people UK-wide by February.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told a Westminster briefing that the centres will also include Robertson House in Stevenage, the Centre for Life in Newcastle, Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol and Millennium Point in Birmingham.

The centres are expected to be staffed with a combination of NHS staff and volunteers, the spokesman added.

It is also understood that other facilities under consideration include Derby Arena; the Black Country Living Museum, Dudley; Malvern’s Three Counties’ Showground, Worcestershire; Villa Park, home of Aston Villa FC; and Leicester Racecourse.

It comes after supermarket chain Morrisons confirmed that car parks at three stores – in Yeovil, Wakefield and Winsford – would host drive-through vaccinations from Monday, with Morrisons also offering a further 47 store car parks to the Government.