Opticians in Surrey have raised thousands of pounds to help provide oxygen to Indian hospitals still facing a devastating wave of the Covid-19 virus in their country.

Staff at Specsavers locations across the county donated some £2,150, with staff across the country raising a stunning £150,000 and the company itself donating a further £60,000.

The stores in Leatherhead, Epsom and Kiln Lane donated £500 between them.

Store director in the region, Mihaela Ovadiuc, said: "The moment we found out about the difficulties India is facing, we did not give it another thought and wanted to help out.

"Our teams came together and donated individually to the charity, and we as directors, topped up their contribution."

India recorded over 300,000 deaths attributed to coronavirus, with many falling in recent weeks as critical supplies of oxygen in the country's hospital's running low.

While the Covid-19 pandemic seems to be turning a corner in the UK, its epicentre has moved elsewhere and India, home to over a billion people, is currently facing an acute medical crisis as the new cases of the virus surge.

Nearly half of India's virus deaths occurred in the last three months, while the BBC reports that in the last 26 days alone, the country has recorded 102,533 Covid-19 deaths.

Booker Prize winning author Arundhati Roy recently described what's happening in the country as a "crime against humanity" and laid much of the blame at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's door.

Writing in the Guardian recently, the Indian writer said:

"People are dying in hospital corridors, on roads and in their homes. Crematoriums in Delhi have run out of firewood.

"The forest department has had to give special permission for the felling of city trees. Desperate people are using whatever kindling they can find.

"Parks and car parks are being turned into cremation grounds.

"It’s as if there’s an invisible UFO parked in our skies, sucking the air out of our lungs. An air raid of a kind we’ve never known.

"No, India cannot be isolated. We need help."