Norfolk's life-saving blood stocks are coming under increased pressure from a decline in blood donors – with one NHS boss warning of 'serious implications' for the county if the numbers continue to fall.

The drop in blood donors has been revealed in new figures seen by the Eastern Daily Press that show a 7.4pc decrease in the county's blood donors since 2009/10, and a 5.9pc decrease in the number of blood collections made over the same period.

It comes amid increased concerns that Norfolk will continue to drop below the national trend after 'significantly less' people signed up to give blood this summer.

Meanwhile, the figures have also painted a bleak picture for Norfolk, Suffolk and Waveney with more than 3,000 fewer people giving blood compared to three years ago.

The revelations have sparked fresh calls from both the NHS and health minister Norman Lamb for people to roll up their sleeves and give what they can in a bid to replenish blood stocks across East Anglia.

Derek Carr, lead donor relations manager for East Anglia, said: 'Unfortunately, as the figures highlight, we have had a slight decline in the number of collections made from people in the area as well as the number of donors.

'This is only just below the trend nationally but we would urge people to roll up their sleeve and pop down to their next session.

'There is always a number of donors who can no longer give and we rely heavily on new volunteers coming.

'This is particularly important at the moment as we have seen significantly less people signing up since the summer.

'Although this doesn't have an impact on current supplies, this could have serious implications further down the line.'

The figures obtained from NHS Blood and Transplant reveal that in England and North Wales the number of people donating blood had fallen by 4.7pc from 1,411,185 in 2009/10 to 1,344,836 in 2011/12, with the number of collections also dropping by 2.9pc from 1,981,817 in 2009/10 to 1,922,572 in 2011/12.

But in Norfolk the decline is happening more rapidly with a 7,4pc decrease in people donating blood from 24,838 in 2009/10 to 22,989 in 2011/12 – a drop of 1,849.

Meanwhile, blood collections also fell by 5.9pc from 46,743 in 2009/10 to 43,943 in 2011/12 – a total fall of 2,794.

During the same period in Suffolk, the number of donors fell from 20,591 to 19,596 (4.8pc) and the level of donations collected dropped from 38,076 to 37,364 (1.8pc).

In Waveney, the number of donors fell from 3,153 to 2,994 (5pc) and donations collected from 5,832 to 5,716 (1.9pc)

Health minister and MP for North Norfolk Norman Lamb urged people to stem the decline by giving blood in the coming weeks.

He said: 'I have always believed that it is incredibly important to give blood. The people who already do should be applauded for it because you never know whether it will be yourself, or a loved one who will depend on blood being in the bank to save their life. I fully support the call to encourage people to come forward – it's important.

'I suggest if anyone is interested in doing it then they should give it a go.'

Last year 2.1m donations were made by 1.6m donors across the country, which accounts for 4pc of the population.

It is believed that about 8,000 units of blood are needed every day to meet the demand in hospitals across the country.

To become a donor you must be aged between 17-65, weighing at least 50 kg (7 stone 12lbs) and in general good health. If you have donated before, you can start again up to your 70th birthday and there is no upper age limit for donors who have donated in the last two years.