VITAL aid will be sent to victims of the Nepal earthquake after generous car wash staff spent a day working for free.

Since the magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked the country on April 25, the death toll has risen to 8,019, and workers at Splash and Dash car wash in Weston Street, Great Lever, were desperate to help.

Now they have raised £419 by scrubbing more than 150 vehicles on Saturday.

The car wash donated 100 per cent of its profits from the day to charity Human Appeal — meaning all 13 members of staff effectively worked for free.

Teams from Human Appeal, which was founded in Manchester in 1991 and now has a presence in 25 countries, were deployed to Nepal shortly after the disaster to deliver food, water and shelter, and a fundraising campaign is ongoing.

Mohammed Hanif, owner of Splash and Dash, said he was pleased with the amount raised, although it was less than organisers had expected to collect.

He said: “We were expecting it to be busier, but on Saturday the athletics pulled more people into Manchester city centre.

“Regardless, raising £419 was a really good result.

“The impact of this massive earthquake has been devastating and this money is really needed. The situation is heartbreaking.”

A total of 17,866 people were injured in the quake and 366 are still missing. Hospitals are overflowing, and thousands of people are homeless.

On Saturday cupcakes were also sold to boost funds and representatives from Human Appeal were on hand to explain the charity’s work.

Last August, Splash and Dash held a similar event in aid of Palestine which raised £1,100.

Mr Hanif, aged 33, said: “Since the earthquake, we have not seen much happening in Bolton to raise money for aid.

“We want people to be aware of the crisis and how critical the situation it is.

“Even though we did not raise as much as we expected to, hopefully now people in Bolton will be more aware of the tragedy and do something to help.”

To donate to the Nepal earthquake appeal through Human Appeal, call 0161 2250225.