Slough firefighters raised £4,255 to help in the fight against the devastation in Australia - as drivers queued to support their fund raising car wash on Saturday.

The firefighters regularly hold charity car wash days - but this one was special.

The Slough crews feel a special link with what is happening in Australia, as one of their numbers Paul Kendal moved there and is now working as a firefighter in Perth.

The car wash was organised by Slough based firefighter Ben Martin-Stone and inspecting officer Amy Crook from the Maidenhead fire station.

Ben said everyone was amazed by the public response.

He said: "We were inundated. People just kept coming all day to have their cars washed and to contribute to the fund raising - they were queueing out into the road."

Paul Kendal has already responded from Australia - describing the result of the car wash as amazing and offering advice as to where the money raised should go.

He said that 100 to 150million dollars had already been donated to the Rural Fire Service but that plenty of other organisations helping cope with the disaster in Australia could do with the money.

He said: "The charities that really need help are the Australian Red Cross who are coordinating efforts to rebuild destroyed or damaged communities and also WIRES who are focussing on re-homing and rebuilding animal habitats.

"Apparently close to two thirds of the Koala population has been killed to date. It’s devastating for Australians being that it’s such an iconic animal."

Anyone who missed the car wash but would like to contribute to Paul's suggested charities can visit the following links: https://www.wires.org.au/ or https://www.redcross.org.au/