A COUNCILLOR is donating his allowances to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph-backed earthquake campaign -- and has urged others to follow his lead.

Coun Salim Mulla, Labour representative for Queen's Park, Blackburn, is handing over £750 to the Earthquake Disaster Appeal pushing the total to around £14,000.

The money will help the survivors in Gujarat where the earthquake struck in January killing a reported 30,000 people. It is estimated 99 per cent of the Indian population in Blackburn hails from the three towns of Valsad, Bharuch, and Surat in the western state of Gujarat.

Coun Mulla, who was one of the founders of the earthquake appeal, said he hoped others would follow suit.

He said: "We are looking to raise £50,000 which is not an over the top amount but we need more donations. The £750 donation is a lot of money for us, I have a wife and five children but it is more important to the people of Gujarat, they need it more than us. People should give all they can." Coun Mulla has plans to visit the stricken state later in the year to see the devastation for himself.

He said: "A cousin of mine has just come back from India where he was on holiday with his wife and two children when the earthquake happened, the property shook for more than a minute and they started praying. They thought they were going to die and said he had never experienced anything like it in his life. I plan to visit and give them my support and comfort."

Coun Mulla added the support of Blackburn people has been phenomenal and said it needed to continue.

He said: "The people of Gujarat have the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, the Lancashire Council of Mosques and the community of Blackburn to thank for their help."

If you want to contribute to the earthquake disaster appeal, you can send donations directly to an appeal account at the NatWest Bank, sort code: 01 00 85, account number 14 01 05 93