A NUMBER of pharmacies in the borough will be providing cover this Christmas and the New Year for people needing expert medical help on the festive Bank Holidays.

On Christmas Day (December 26) Hawne Chemist, Stourbridge Road, Halesowen, will be open from 9am to midday, Lloyds Pharmacy, Dudley Street, Sedgley, will be open from 10am to 2pm, Ian McArdle Chemist, High Street, Brierley Hill, will be open from midday to 3pm, Dudley Wood Pharmacy, Bush Road, Dudley, will be open from 3pm to 6pm.

Your Local Boots Pharmacy, Ryemarket, Stourbridge, will be open on Boxing Day (December 26) from 10am to 4pm.

Morrisons Pharmacy based in Morrison Supermarkets, Charterfield Shopping Centre, Kingswinford, will be open from 10am to 4pm on December 26 and New Year’s Day (January 1).

Asda Pharmacies in Pearson Street, Brierley Hill, Merry Hill and the Cornbow Shopping Centre in Halesowen, plus Boots Pharmacy at Merry Hill, will also be open from 9am to 6pm on December 26 and 10am to 6pm on January 1.

Lloyds Pharmacy in Sedgley will also be open from 10am to 2pm on January 1.

Kiran Patel, medical director at NHS England (West Midlands), said: “Your local pharmacy can help you with more than you might think. Pharmacists offer expert, confidential advice and treatment for many minor health problems.

"We would also like to remind patients to order any medication they need from their GP surgery in plenty of time so they have a good supply during the bank holidays.”