A Shipley-based charity today launched an emergency appeal in a bid to help thousands of people hit by devastating flooding in Romania.

Dr Kathy Tedd, co-director of Jubilee Outreach Yorkshire, is calling on Telegraph & Argus readers to help relief efforts by donating food, blankets and cash.

The move follows a Romanian government request for help to the United Nations in the wake of severe flooding, which has left thousands homeless and without food or clean water.

Dr Tedd said: "Romania's still desperately struggling to cope with the aftermath of Communism and isn't equipped at all to deal with these severe floods. By making donations people will be helping others who are in need anyway but have now lost everything.

"A lot of the people are very poor and only manage by growing their own crops in summer but now all that's gone as well. What little people did have has disappeared - they've lost their animals, the land's a waste of mud and wells are polluted, which is going to cause problems for a long time.''

An estimated 12,000 people are in urgent need of help and the flooding has also ruined tens of thousands of acres of farmland, caused the deaths of hundreds of farm animals and polluted many drinking water sources.

But Dr Tedd believes that is just the tip of the iceberg and fears thousands of Romania's most vulnerable people have not yet been accounted for.

Among the items JOY is looking for are flour, dried milk, dried baby food, tinned meat, rice, blankets and water purifiers as well as cash to help fund its relief efforts.

All food donated should be in date and in unopened packs and JOY is planning to send a 40-ton lorry, crammed full of aid, to Romania later this month.

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