'MOT' health checks are being offered to pensioners at newly-launched drop-in clinics in villages.

Emma Webb, 95, and Bertha Chapman, 97, chat to nurse Caroline Smith at a drop-in clinic

Patients registered to the White Horse and Fern Hill GP practices in Faringdon, will be able to visit the monthly sessions without an appointment.

The clinics, run by district nurses in Faringdon, Uffington, Stanford in the Vale and Southmoor, are the first of their kind in the county.

District nurse Lizzie Coss said: "Faringdon covers a very rural area with lots of villages, and people can't always get to their GPs.

"We want to encourage people in for a check-up like an MOT and people will be able to pop-in without an appointment."

The nurses will check blood pressure, weight and offer support and advice.

The clinics will run from 2pm to 3pm. In Southmoor, they will be held at the village hall on the first Thursday of every month, starting on June 5.

In Faringdon they will be held at the United Reformed Church on the second Tuesday of the month, starting on May 13.

Clinics in Uffington will be held at the village hall on the third Tuesday of the month, starting on May 20.

In Stanford in the Vale, they will be held in the United Reformed Church on the last Tuesday of the month, starting on May 27.

A pharmacist will also be on hand to discuss queries about medication.

Police and firefighters will also offer information about home security and safety.