A CHARITY is appealing for donations to help desperate refugees arriving in Europe.

More migrants and refugees than ever before are arriving on the continent as war, persecution and poverty continue to drive people from their homes.

Now the British Red Cross has launched an urgent lifesaving appeal for emergency supplies which will be sent to the hundreds of thousands of people who have been forced to risk their lives to search for safety.

They are calling for donations of food, water, nappies and hygiene kits and also need help supplying medical treatment.

The donations will go to some of the neediest people in the world, who have faced immense suffering and set out on perilous journeys as they try to escape, risking their lives as they pack into overcrowded boats or walking along railway lines.

It comes after David Cameron, pictured inset, announced yesterday that the UK would be taking in thousands more asylum seekers from Syria.

The prime minister added that Britain would provide an additional £100 million in aid for Syrian refugees, bringing the total to more than £1 billion.

The latest statistics from the UN’s refugee agency have found that one in every 122 people in the world is currently either a refugee, internally displaced or seeking asylum.

Between January and March more than 180,000 people had applied for citizenship in Europe, with the majority fleeing Kosovo and Syria.

And most hope to be given asylum in Germany (39.6 per cent), Hungary (17.8 per cent) or Italy (8.2 per cent) rather than the UK, which saw just four per cent of applications in the first three months of this year.

Now the Red Cross is urging people to provide lifesaving help and donations which could save the lives of many people trying to travel to safety.

Head of emergencies for the Red Cross, Ben Webster, said: “People are arriving in Europe with very little – some with only a family photo and the clothes they left in.

“We urgently need supplies such as food, water, nappies and hygiene kits as well as emergency medical treatment – your support can make a huge difference.

“We are in the midst of one of the biggest humanitarian disasters of our time. Millions of people are being forced to risk their lives in a desperate search for safety as conflicts rage around the world.”

Find out how to help at redcross.org.uk.