A councillor who has donated blood for the 66th time is urging other people to follow suit to tackle a 'critical shortage'.

Ward councillor for Breightmet and Bolton Executive Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, Sean Fielding most recently donated blood at Norfolk House Blood Donor Centre in Manchester over bank holiday weekend.

NHS England’s blood donation service has issued an urgent appeal for new donors amid declining appointments booked over the coming months.

An amber alert was issued to hospitals from the NHS in July, warning them that supplies of O-type blood – which can be given to the vast majority of patients - were so low that their use would need to be restricted.

The warning was just the second amber alert in history warning of ‘unprecedented’ blood shortages.

Although supplies have improved since July, officials warn that patients still run the risk of being impacted by shortages.

Cllr Fielding said: “Donated blood is invaluable in handling emergencies, childbirth and critical treatments.

“I’ve got into the habit of donating ever since I signed up 17 years ago at Oldham Sixth Form College and I’d encourage people to consider it if they don’t already.

“The critical shortage at the moment makes it particularly urgent. 

“Save a life, give blood. They even give you a biscuit and a brew afterwards.”

Cllr Fielding added that his O-type blood is the blood type of 35 per cent of donors, though it can be donated to anybody with an Rh+ blood type, which is 76 per cent of the population.

The NHS website details that there are: “45,000 appointments for blood donors to book between now and September across city and town donor centres."

It adds: “Blood is needed twenty-four seven and three hundred and sixty-five days a year so we need people to keep booking and donating in the coming days, weeks and months.”

NHS Blood and Transplant urged people to keep their blood donor appointments, saying it had been contacted by people wondering if they were going ahead.

“NHS Blood and Transplant are calling on donors to book and keep appointments to donate blood to boost NHS resilience at this time,” a spokesman said.

“There remains a particularly urgent need for O negative blood. Blood donation systems are not affected and we currently have a high number of appointments available at our donor centres in major towns and cities.”