A charity fighting for survival is concerned problems with a charity giving website may mean it lost out on potentially vital donations.

Virgin Money Giving experienced problems on Sunday and Monday, as demand for the website peaked with people trying to donate to runners doing the London marathon.

The website crashed for part of Sunday morning because of the high demand and yesterday those asking to donate may have had to try a number of times before successfully getting through.

Leaders at Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), which set up a donation page via Virgin Money Giving, think the problems could mean they have lost out on important donations.

The charity is desperately trying to save £20,000 to survive beyond the end of this month. So far it has raised £319 on its Virgin Money Giving page - just one per cent of its target.

Sue Dust, second in command and client liaison officer at CERT, said a number of people had messaged the charity to say they had tried to donate but kept receiving a message saying the website was busy.

"We feel it could have had an impact unfortunately," she said.

"Obviously we know we're not going to raise the full amount needed, but if we could just raise enough to buy us some time until hopefully we find some more funding."

CERT was originally established as Eden Flood Volunteers in the wake of Storm Desmond. It initially helped victims of the floods of December 2015 to get back on their feet by providing donations of furniture, clothes and flood to those most in need.

The charity still provides help to flood victims but has widened its remit to help the homeless, people struggling with mental health problems and others in need.

Sue and Kerryanne Wilde, CERT's founder and chief executive, are devastated at the prospect of CERT's closure.

Sue said: "It's horrible. In a way it's kind of a bereavement because for the last 18 months we have lived and breathed the organisation and the clients and we have put our hearts into every aspect of it.

"To then find that there's no support in our hour of need, it's a horrible feeling. It's a very, very dark time."

Kerryanne said: "We will close on Friday unless we get some sort of miracle. A fairy Godmother. We need £10,000 a month minimum to keep going.

"It's such a shame though because we know there are still so many people in crisis."

A spokesman from Virgin Money Giving said unfortunately the website was not available for part of Sunday morning.

To say sorry the company boosted all donations made to any charity on Sunday and Monday by 10 per cent.