Ledbury Rotary Club has launched a life-saving appeal to bring safe water to the victims of the Indian earthquake.

Club spokesman Peter Herbert said it was the branch's major project at the moment, with the aim of supplying as many purifying "aquaboxes" as possible to the desolated people of Gujarat.

The club has just sent its first two aquaboxes, care of Air India, but Rotarians hope that, with the support of the Ledbury public, many more will follow.

A Rotary charity meal at Broom's Green Memorial Hall on January 24 put £200 into the campaign kitty, but many more donations are needed.

Mr Herbert said: "I'm sure there are a lot of people out there in Ledbury who'd like to do something.

"The victims of the earthquake don't want clothes at the moment. They want to live and they need water.

"We want to send out as many aquaboxes as we possibly can get."

Latest reports from the earthquake zone put the death toll at 20,000. But typhoid and cholera could take even more lives in the aftermath, in an area where conventional water supplies have largely been disrupted.

The aquaboxes come in two sizes, with the larger one costing around £250. This has a capacity to provide 33,000 litres of purified water.

Each box is a rigid reinforced plastic container with a special filter and dispensing tap.

Water is strained through muslin into the box, where a chlorine tablet sets to work by killing bacteria.

Mr Herbert said: "A standard box, which costs around £70, is supplied with sufficient chemicals to purify 1,100 litres of water, which is sufficient to provide the necessary drinking water for a family of four, for three to four months.

"These boxes are also packed for delivery with various helpful humanitarian items such as eating utensils, first aid equipment, baby nappies, soap and candles."

Anyone wishing to make a donation should send cheques, payable to "The Rotary Club of Ledbury" and addressed to Brian Clark, Treasurer, Bali Hai, Wellington Heath, Ledbury, HR8 1LY.

Cheques may also be handed in at John Miles the Butchers in The Homend or the Three Counties Book Shop in the High Street.

But Mr Herbert said: "Because of the need to rush aquaboxes to the Indian earthquake area, we are only calling for donations and not humanitarian articles."