The South African blood transfusion service is experiencing an alarming shortage of blood and has launched an urgent appeal for donors.

The service says it is operating on a day to day basis and urgently needs at least 6,000 litres of blood.

Many regular donors have gone home to rural areas or to the coast for the holiday season but the real problem is the huge number of accidents on South Africa's roads.

Road accidents: Thousands injured over Christmas

Some 600 people have been killed since the holiday period began at the start of December.

Hundreds more have been injured. Drunken and wreckless driving are to blame.

Last year by the time the season was over more than 1,000 South Africans had lost their lives, 6,000 others had been injured.

This year the government has been running a special arrive-alive campaign, to highlight the lethal combination of speed and alcohol.

Extra police officers with breathalysers and radar speed detectors have also been deployed.