South of France holiday scuppered Davey's blood donation attempt

The Liberal Democrat leader was unable to give blood due to visiting an area where there is the risk of mosquito-borne viruses.

His visit to the south London centre was part of a campaign to promote blood donations to 'beat the winter crisis' in the NHS.

NHS Blood Donation says it needs over 140,000 people to donate blood for the first time this year to meet demand.

Blood has a shelf life of 35 days, so stocks need constant replenishing.

Earlier this year, the NHS warned it faced 'a significant shortfall in blood stocks with hot weather, holidays and high demand all significantly impacting supplies. '

Gerry Gogarth, director of blood and plasma supply at NHS Blood and Transplant said: 'We urgently need anyone eligible to donate to book an appointment as soon as they can.

Anyone wishing to donate blood can sign up on the NHS Blood Donation website or use the app to register and book an appointment.

There are restrictions on who can donate blood including limits on those who have recently travelled to particular areas.

In Sir Ed's case, the risk of exposure to ChikV and Dengue virus in parts of France prevented him from donating.

The French regions covered by the restriction are Bouches-du-Rhône, Charente, Dordogne, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Pyrénées-Orientales, Var, Gard, Hérault, Isere, Alpes-Maritimes, Vaucluse or Corsica.

A Lib Dem spokesperson said: 'Ed unfortunately could not give blood today due to recent changes to rules regarding blood donations after travelling to certain destinations.

'Ed went to the Charente region in France on holiday which poses an infection risk due to mosquito prevalence, he will have to wait 28 days after returning home in order to give blood. He'll be back.

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