WORLD Cup fever could see blood donations in Oxfordshire fall by 17 per cent.

Blood donation in England fell during World Cup 2002 as fans' attention moved from donor sessions to the football pitch.

In the South East, the average amount of blood collections across a month fell by 2,845 donations during June 2002, a 17 per cent drop.

Following the launch of the World Cup, the National Blood Service is urging Oxfordshire's donors not to penalise patients.

Robbie Earle, an ex-Wimbledon soccer player, has joined forces with the NBS to encourage the county's donors to come forward.

Earle received blood after a kick to the stomach ruptured his pancreas during a game in Watford.

His injuries ended his career and could have ended his life if it hadn't been for blood donors.

Louise Coxon, the service's spokesman for Oxfordshire, said: "The World Cup is traditionally a difficult time for blood collection, as thousands of football fans would rather watch the football matches on TV than attend blood donor sessions.

"Our target is to collect 3,000 blood donations every month from Oxfordshire donors and because of the World Cup we could see around 500 less people coming forward to donate.

"Oxfordshire's hospitals will use around 2,600 units of blood products during the four-week run of the championship, showing that the demand for lifesaving blood transfusions never stops, not even for the World Cup.

"Robbie Earle is a well-known example of someone who had to rely on the generosity of blood donors to save his life but someone you know could need blood during the competition period."

During the tournament, a total of 21 donor sessions will be held throughout the county.

Regular donors are being urged to keep appointments at these sessions, while new donors, and donors who have not given blood for a while are also being encouraged to come along.

Miss Coxon added: "Giving blood only takes around an hour of your time and leaves you feeling great knowing that you've helped to save lives by doing something so simple."

For more information on local sessions during the World Cup contact the national donor helpline on 0845 7 711 711 or visit the website at www.blood.co.uk.