THE military is being drafted in to take over coronavirus testing in the borough as the University of Bolton Stadium drive-through centre closes this week.

The COVID-19 testing facility based at the Bolton Wanderers stadium will close on Thursday after operating at the site for more than two months.

This comes after the Whites Hotel, located nearby on site, reopened on July 6.

The military is expected to start running a testing facility at the former Bolton bus station in Moor Lane by the beginning of next week, but will move elsewhere in the coming weeks once a new site has been identified.

Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for adult social care, Cllr Andy Morgan, said the football club needs the site back ahead of the new season.

He said: “We’d like to thank Bolton Wanderers for their cooperation while the site’s been there.

“In the interim, while we identify a new site, the military is coming in to make sure we have the testing capacity. There will be no gap in providing testing.”

Cllr Morgan also explained that some council staff were redeployed to work at the University of Bolton Stadium coronavirus testing centre, but they are now needed back in their jobs as normal work resumes at the local authority.

Executive cabinet member for health and wellbeing, Cllr Susan Baines, confirmed that the army will be testing in Bolton for up to five weeks.

She said the testing is expected to be carried out at the former Bolton bus station in Moor Lane, where the military operated a temporary facility back in May, but details are yet to be confirmed.

A testing facility was set up at the University of Bolton stadium by Bolton Council, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group in April and started testing key workers and their families in May.

The stadium car park is one of 12 venues in the UK selected by promoters Live Nation for a series of outdoor drive-in events over six weeks this summer.

Artists announced so far for the Live From The Drive-In events, which starts on July 25  include Gary Numan, The Streets and Dizzee Rascal.

There will also be shows for children including The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Horrible Histories and Braniac Live as well as appearances by Dick and Dom.

A council spokesman confirmed that the coronavirus testing centre at the University of Bolton Stadium is closing because the Whites Hotel has reopened, not because the Live From The Drive-In events are set to start.

A Bolton NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: “COVID-19 testing at the University of Bolton Stadium site will stop by 12 noon on Thursday. Members of the public will need to access testing via the national portal – this will include options to access a home testing kit or a drive through testing centre.”

Anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 can get a free test to check if they have the virus and some people without symptoms can have the test too.

Coronavirus symptoms include a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

A coronavirus test kit could also be delivered to your home if requested.

To book a test online, visit www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test

People without access to the internet can phone 119.