Plans drawn up by health chiefs could see residents in part of North Yorkshire travelling across the border to be vaccinated in West Yorkshire.

People living in the west of North Yorkshire are to be "given the option" of having their jab at the large vaccination centre at Elland Road stadium, Leeds United's ground.

The Premier League club's Centenary Pavillion is being transformed into one of four vaccine hubs in West Yorkshire.

Richard Flinton, North Yorkshire County Council's chief executive, said: "We have new mass vaccination sites coming on stream over the course of this week and next at Ripon racecourse and Scarborough rugby club and some of our residents in the west of our county will be given the option of getting vaccinated at the large site in West Yorkshire being set up at Elland Road.

"Also, despite reports of vaccines being diverted from Yorkshire to other areas in the country that are lagging behind with the roll-out and despite concerning reports about a block on vaccine exports from Europe, we continue to expect that our North Yorkshire roll-out programme remains on track.

"This is a huge achievement and I wish to thank all our NHS colleagues and social care teams and all our volunteers across the county who have worked so hard to make this happen and continue to work hard as the vaccination programme progresses."

Mr Flinton also revealed that 917 people in North Yorkshire have lost their lives to Covid.

"We have come on a very long and difficult journey since the first two people in the UK were reported with the virus in York last January, " he added.

Mr Flinton also pointed to the light at the end of the tunnel, stating: "This is also a week where we can see the light in the darkness growing ever brighter as the nation pushes ahead with the vaccination programme and lockdown brings the infection rate down.

"Here in North Yorkshire and York, more than 126,000 of our most vulnerable residents, those aged over 80 and in care homes as well as care home staff, have now been vaccinated – one sixth of the population.

"Residents and staff in all of the county’s 235 residential care settings, apart from those settings with outbreaks and individuals with Covid or recovering from the virus, have been offered the vaccine."