PEOPLE with two special blood groups are being urged to save lives by donating immediately after collections were hit by the recent bad weather.

Staff at the donor centre in Coxford Road, Southampton, have issued an urgent appeal for donors with B negative and O negative blood to come forward.

Donors with these groups will be able to give blood at the centre without having to make an appointment.

An NHS spokesman said: “The freezing weather put many people off donating and led to cancelled sessions, meaning stocks of these valuable groups are lower than seriously-ill hospital patients will need this Christmas.

“O negative can be given to almost anyone, making it especially valuable for trauma patients where there is little time to test for blood groups.

“B negative is particularly important because many patients with serious blood disorders such as sickle cell disease need B negative blood.”

Jon Latham, head of donor contact services at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “The recent poor weather has resulted in us having less O negative and B negative blood than is required.

“If you’re a donor with one of these important blood groups, just walk into Southampton Donor Centre as soon as you can.

“Seriously ill patients in Southampton will need blood this Christmas. Please take action now – you will save lives.”

For more details, including donor centre opening hours, call 0300 123 2323 or go online and visit blood.co.uk.