A 44-TONNE lorry arrived in York this morning, full of aid for flood victims donated by the people of Norfolk.

Food, bedding, clothing, mattresses, sofas and cleaning materials were collected in just two days and then driven up to York by Karen and Ken Henry, of Dilham, Norfolk.

Karen said they saw the flooding disaster unfolding on the news and decided they had to help.

She originally planned to post some items and then decided to go much further, putting out appeals on radio and Facebook. "We've been absolutely overwhelmed by the response that we've had," she said.

"We've been given clothing, shoes, bedlinen, electrical goods, cleaning products, non-perishables - basically everything."

She said her husband was a trucker and his boss at Saxon Motors of Norfolk had said he could use one of the company's vehicles to bring items up to York.

A farmer has agreed to allow the goods to be stored in one of his sheds near York, from where they will be taken out to distribution centres around the city, including one at the Bell Farm Community Centre, which is close to one of the most badly flooded areas, Huntington Road.

Tony Castle, one of the York volunteers who turned up today to help unload the lorry, said he wanted to thank the Henrys on behalf of the people of York 'from the bottom of our hearts for everything.'

He also praised the response to the crisis from people in York, who had been donating huge numbers of items and offering their help to flood victims.

He said animal feed merchants Thompsons of Murton had donated £400 of dog food which he had helped distribute to travellers at the James Street site and other people in the city who had lost everything and couldn't feed their pets.

Vicky McKennan, from Bell Farm, said the community centre had been involved in collecting and distributing aid since just after Christmas.

Members of York Mosque have been involved in helping victims and a Muslim charity has also been racing to the rescue of flood victims in the north, with the Al-Khair Foundation deploying more than 100 volunteers to help with the clear up operation and providing vital stores and equipment.