A Bradford man who needs monthly blood transfusions has backed an urgent appeal from the NHS.

Describing blood donations as a “lifeline”, Tahir Mahmood, 47, of Frizinghall said, “I would ask the public to keep on donating.”

He said: “You never know how you could be affected, or the people around you.”

The appeal has been issued by NHS Blood and Transplant in West Yorkshire to prevent a “double-dip” in blood supplies in the run-up to Easter.

Richard Shortland, head of regional marketing in West Yorkshire at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “The recent bad weather hit our blood stocks and we now need to make up the shortfall.”

Stock holding units aim to hold six days’ worth of blood to supply local hospitals.

But the unit in Leeds, which supplies blood to hospitals across the county, has just three days’ worth of blood currently.

Continuous donations are vital for procedures such as: ongoing cancer treatments, emergency surgery and childbirth.

Mr Mahmood, who suffers from Thalassaemia, feels he is fortunate to have a common blood type, but said: “For those who don’t, donations become absolutely critical, as they may have to wait longer if donation centres have to look wider afield to secure the blood.”

Blood stocks are also likely to take a hit around Easter when people go on holiday or enjoy days out.

Mr Mahmood said: “In times of crisis people do step forward, which is good.”

But he said he believed centres and the NHS “need to keep on repeating the message, as people may see it on social media but don’t always correlate it with the reality.”

He added he has the “utmost respect, regard and appreciation for people to step forward.”

There are dedicated blood donor centres both in Leeds and Bradford city centres. You can make and keep your appointment to donate in West Yorkshire by calling the Donor Line on 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.blood.co.uk

It is also now easy to book through mobile apps for Windows, Android and Apple devices. To download the app, search ‘NHSGiveBlood’ in the app store.