A toy appeal has been so successful that the goodies will not only fill a new area of March Police but some will also be sent to children who would otherwise wake up on Christmas morning without a gift.

March Police put out the toy appeal hoping to get some new things for its station.

But the response has been so overwhelming that the generous donations will go so much further.

Inspector Ian Lombardo said: “Just look at the huge response we’ve had to our donated toys appeal!

“When I first took the role as Fenland Inspector one thing I stated was that Fenland had a great community spirit and this appeal has proven just how strong that spirit is.

“So from myself and all the children you have and will help, especially those who will now have a present to open on Christmas Day, thank you!

“I would like to personally thank you, the Fenland community, for your generous response to the appeal.

“I never imagined we would receive the vast quantity that we have and I’m hugely grateful to everyone who has taken the time to either go out and buy new toys or donated things your children no longer use.

“I would also like to thank our local media for highlighting this appeal.

“My initial plan was to ensure the room at March had a full range of toys, books and puzzles to cater for all ages of children and any excess would be sent through to our child abuse investigation and safeguarding team.

“This has easily been achieved and I’m pleased to say that due to the substantial size of the donations we received we have been able to help even more children in the Fenland area.

“I’ve been able to give a proportion of the toys donated to us to the children’s team at Fenland social services.

“Each year this team tries to give a toy to children who unfortunately for a variety of reasons will not get a visit from Father Christmas.

“Thanks to Fenland residents the number of children in our area who will wake up without a present on Christmas Day has been greatly reduced.”