POLICE officers and staff from Andover police station raised £1,589 at Asda on Saturday to help a 13-year-old boy suffering from cancer by pedalling on three bikes non-stop for ten hours.

However their heroic efforts were tinged with sadness, as Joe Ellis, the son of a serving police officer at Newport on the Isle of Wight, died on Monday.

He had been suffering from an aggressive form of cancer and was diagnosed with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma last year.

He has received various treatment, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which have been unsuccessful and his family were hoping to raise £100,000 to fund a new and potentially life-saving drug treatment for him.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokeswoman said: “The officers from Andover did a fantastic job and raised £1,589.

“Joe’s family are going to continue to fundraise in the hope they can help the family of another child.”

Southampton Hospital Trust had funded the first three periods of treatment which has enabled Joe to start his treatment immediately, but the family needed to raise funds for the remaining 13 treatments.

Officers and staff from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight force had all been raising money on Saturday.