THERE are 260 people are waiting for an organ transplant in Hampshire.

The figure, from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), was revealed as part of the Seven Days to Say Yes, I Donate campaign running during National Transplant Week last week.

A third of UK adults admit they have not considered organ donation or decided whether to be an organ donor when they die, NHSBT said.

Last year, 85 people in the county had their lives saved or transformed thanks to a deceased's organ donation.

There are 655,269 people from Hampshire registered on the Organ Donor Register, but the number of people donating organs in the UK fell for the first time in 11 years.

The UK also has one of the lowest rates in Europe for families consenting to organ donation and in 2014/15 only 58 per cent agreed to donate their family members’ organs after they died.

During the national awareness week, NHSBT wants to encourage the nation to talk about organ donation and the importance of sharing decisions on being an organ donor with family and close friends.

The Seven Days to Say Yes I Donate campaign aims to help break down barriers and taboos around organ donation.

Anthony Clarkson, NHSBT assistant director for organ donation and nursing, said: “Every day three people die in need of a transplant. Yet across the UK one in three adults haven’t considered organ donation or decided whether they want to be an organ donor.

“To save more lives we need more donors. To raise that number we really need everyone to understand the importance of not being complacentWe need to get to the point where organ donation is high on the list of important personal conversations we routinely have with loved ones.”

He added: “Over the next seven days we’d like everyone to give a few minutes of their time to think about organ donation and talk about whether they want to be an organ donor with their relatives or a close friend.”

To sign the register visit organdonation.nhs.uk.