THE people of Newport are being asked to sign up for organ donation after their deaths in a ground-breaking new scheme.

Everyone in the county borough has received a letter from Newport mayor Ron Morris asking them to sign up to donate their organs to save others after their deaths. More than 60,000 letters have been sent and Councillor Morris hopes they will reach more than 120,000 Newport citizens.

The letter said: "It is tragic that many organs are lost because registered donors have not informed their relatives of their wishes beforehand, and in the immediate grief and trauma of death, relatives refuse their permission for organ transplants when approached by a doctor."

The reverse of the letter is an organ donor form for two people, to be completed and returned along with the electoral registration form.

Councillor Morris said: "The returns are already coming in and are excellent. "We thought it was a good idea because there are people out there waiting for these organs and if we only save one life it's well worth doing.

"We had the opportunity to get to a large number of people, and the more donors there are the more chances of saving somebody's life.

"We have had one complaint, which was anonymous, but if people don't like getting the form they can put it in the bin."

Councillor Morris says he now hopes that Newport can inspire other Welsh local authorities to join the campaign.

A spokesman for the Organ Donation Line said: "I haven't heard of anyone else in Britain doing this, but it's most definitely a good thing that people in Newport are being encouraged to sign up."

There are more than 6,000 people in the UK waiting for organ transplants, and many of them may die before a suitable organ becomes available.

The National NHS Organ Donor Register operates across the UK and aims to make sure that anyone who wants to help others after their death gets the chance.

While it is widely known that kidney, heart, lung and liver transplants can save lives, medical advances now mean that corneas from the eyes, skin tissue and the pancreas can also be used in transplants.

And because members of the Asian community are more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, the need for Asian donors is greater than ever.