Blood stocks are hit by flooding

About 1,700 units of blood are needed every month

Last month's flooding led to a drop in blood donations in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, the National Blood Service has said.

Officials said not as many people as usual had been able to make their appointments to give blood.

They said some donors had been too busy with clean-up operations and in some cases people could not even get to the donation centres.

About 1,700 units of blood are needed for the counties' hospitals each month.

They said that unless more people came forward to donate, supplies could start running low.

Herefordshire and Worcestershire were some of the worst-hit areas when heavy rain fell in the UK in July.

In some areas, hundreds of people had to be rescued by helicopters as floodwater rose into their homes.