BLOOD donor sessions have been axed in Baildon in a snap decision that has baffled regular contributors.

When father and daughter John and Kathryn Pitcher arrived at Ian Clough Hall on Thursday for their scheduled appointments, they found the sessions had been summarily ended.

Miss Pitcher, who has donated blood at the hall for 17 years, said she was astonished.

"It beggars belief! I got there at 2pm to be told it had been cancelled just 30 minutes earlier due to some health and safety issues and that was the end of donating blood at Ian Clough Hall.

"What's more ridiculous is that on Tuesday I got a phone text from the NHS reminding me to go as there was a desperate need for blood.

"So stopping taking our blood could be putting people at risk as there's a really loyal set of people at Baildon."

Bingley resident Miss Pitcher travels up to donate blood with her father, who first took her along to the hall when she was aged 17.

"I've been donating blood for 32 years at Baildon and before that since I was an apprentice and used to enjoy an hour off work," said retired IT consultant Mr Pitcher, 68, who worked for the NHS.

"Stopping doing it at Baildon is just lunatic - there's never been any problem here and it seems as if Health and Safety want to prevent people giving blood which could save people's lives," Mr Pitcher said.

"I've made 94 donations over the years and live just round the corner so it's very handy.

"It's always busy and there's always a queue.

"I'm not gong to stop as I want to get to my hundred, so my next session will have to be in Shipley."

Confirming the move, Peter Baughan, Area Manager for NHS Blood and Transplant said: "We are currently looking at finding a suitable replacement venue in the area.

"As part of our programme to improve the donor experience, we have been introducing modern donor beds to provide a safer and more comfortable environment for donors in Leeds and around the country.

"Unfortunately, when we arrived at the session on Thursday, November 26 at Ian Clough Hall, Baildon we faced a number of access issues which have become more problematic since the introduction of our new donor beds.

"These included limited suitable parking space and access for safe handling of the donation equipment.

"As soon as we became aware of the issues before the start of the session, we tried to arrange to move to an alternative venue in Shipley.

"Low temperatures at this venue meant this was not, however, possible. We tried to notify all donors in advance and staff stayed at Ian Clough Hall to explain the issue to any donors we were unable to contact in advance.

"We would like to apologise to all our donors who were unable to donate blood on Thursday and would like to thank them all for their commitment to blood donation. We spoke to donors on the day to help them find a suitable alternative blood donor session.

"We are grateful to all who give up their time to donate blood."