AS WE enter the third English lockdown, the government are advising people to stay at home - and get tested if they show symptoms of coronavirus.

However, a search on the testing site this morning at 10am (Tuesday, January 5) indicated that the closest drive-through testing centre for Basingstoke residents is in Farnborough - over 20 miles away.

Basingstoke Gazette:

When selecting that you have access to a car, no walk-in appointments were showing as available.

But, for those who do not have a car, more than 400 appointments were showing for the town's walk-in centre, at the Anvil theatre on Churchill Way.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Under the new lockdown rules, people are being asked not to leave their home, except for a limited number of exceptional reasons.

These include work, if you absolutely cannot work from home, exercise, to escape domestic violence, and for medical reasons - including to access a coronavirus test.

People are asked to refrain from booking test appointments unless they are showing any of the key symptoms: a new cough, temperature, or loss of taste or smell.