Moira Eadie: Urgent plea to replenish stocks

The service has launched its New Year campaign and, alongside its regular appeal for new donors, has called on existing donors to come forward more often.

The campaign, called The Three Times Promise, urges every eligible Scot to donate three pints of blood next year and every year.

However, at the launch of the campaign on Saturday, SNBTS officials said the severe weather was deterring people from attending donor sessions.

Donor Services Manager Moira Eadie said: "The combination of very low temperatures and heavy snowfalls has made it very difficult for donors to get to our local donating sessions.

"This decrease in attendance has caused blood stocks to become depleted as essential blood supplies continue to be issued to our hospitals.

Testing procedures

"We urgently need to replenish these blood stocks, especially as the first two weeks of the New Year traditionally result in a very high demand for blood and blood products."

The SNBTS said that if the cold weather snap continued into next week it could face difficulties in maintaining supplies.

At present, 5% of the Scottish population gives blood and the service needs 1000 units a day to meet demand.

The service said that the traditional festive drop in donors and strict new testing procedures have the potential to affect supplies.

Mrs Eadie said: "I would ask both current blood donors and members of the public thinking of donating to please donate at their earliest opportunity."