The Stevenage warehouse of the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance – which reopened to accept donations on Monday – has temporarily closed until July 6.

The Comet: EHAAT's Stevenage warehouse has been swamped with donations since reopening. Picture: EHAATEHAAT's Stevenage warehouse has been swamped with donations since reopening. Picture: EHAAT (Image: Archant)

Since reopening, staff have been swamped with donations and now need time to deal with the considerable backlog.

Donna Lee, head of retail at EHAAT said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has generously donated goods using the outside bins/cages since we reopened on Monday.

“Unfortunately, because of the large volume of donations we have received in the last few days, our warehouse and team have reached maximum capacity.

“We would like to ask anyone who is planning on donating anything to kindly hold on to it until next Monday, July 6.

“Unfortunately, anything left outside our premises when they are closed is likely to get damaged by the weather, making it unfit for sale. We then have to pay for these items to be disposed of.

“We are sure our supporters would prefer the funds we raise to be spent on supporting their local life saving charity rather than on disposing of rubbish.”

If you are thinking of donating to the EHAAT, please ensure that all toys are in full working order, that games have all their pieces and that all clothes are clean and stain free.

The charity has been inundated with donations of CDs, DVDs, videos and books, and are currently having to decline these items.

For more information about EHAAT’s charity shops visit ehaat.org/shops.