Blood donations 'overwhelming'

PEOPLE have queued up to give blood today, not just in Paris but across France, in a show of solidarity following Friday's terror attacks in the capital.

With 352 people reported injured - 99 of whom are said to be in a critical condition - hospitals had an urgent need for blood supplies.

The campaign to encourage people to give blood spread through social media. La Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris said it was "overwhelmed" with donors and its blood banks are now plentiful.

The Etablissement Français du Sang said Parisians who regularly gave blood had saved lives: "The fact that we coped with last night's situation is thanks to Parisians who give blood as a matter of routine."

However, it is hoped that Friday's tragic events will encourage people elsewhere in France to give blood and ensure there is a supply for the future.

You can find a blood donation point near you via this website. Anyone who lived in the British Isles for at least a year between 1980 and 1996 cannot give blood in France.