In 2002 nearly 400 people died in the UK waiting for a transplant

A recent survey by the Service shows that although many people support organ donation, less than one in six have actually joined the national register.

There are currently more than 5,500 patients in the UK waiting for a transplant.

Managers at the service say they want more than 16m people on the register by 2010.

Last year alone, nearly 400 people died in the UK while waiting for a transplant.

The charity says the easiest way to register is online, or when applying for a driving licence, passport or registering with a new GP.

The UK Transplant Service was set up in 1994, complete with a confidential, computerised database holding the names of potential donors.