A charity in Westbury which helps children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster looks set to lose a warehouse where it collects humanitarian aid.

Chernobyl Children in Need has two 20ft containers at Comet’s distribution centre in Quartermaster Road, on the West Wilts Trading Estate near Westbury, but earlier this month the electrical retailer announced the centre could close by the end of August.

The charity, which helps those effected by the leak at the power plant in the Ukraine on April 26, 1986, is appealing to businesses in Westbury and Trowbridge for a piece of land where it could keep its two containers, which last year stored £83,000 worth of aid, later delivered to schools, hospitals and orphanages in the Kalinkovichi district of Gomel.

Adrian Walker, chairman of the charity, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this November, only found out about the site's potential closure when he heard it on the news.

He said: “I went down to Wincanton (which employs the staff who work at Comet) to ask them what the situation was because at that time it hadn’t become official and they told me they would have to be out by August.

“We’d rather stay there because Wincanton have been great with us but now we’ll have to find somewhere else.

“We need a site big enough to put the two containers and we’d also need access to them occasionally.

“Ideally we need a location within 15 miles of Trowbridge or Westbury.”

A total of 123 jobs are at risk at the centre and all employees are currently undergoing a 90-day consultation process, which began on March 2.

Wincanton Logistics, which is based in Methuen Park, Chippenham, manage and employ all staff at the site.

The news was the second major blow for the town in the space of a month after Lafarge announced it would be mothballing its plant off Trowbridge Road, Westbury, at the end of April, with 64 employees losing their jobs If you can help Chernobyl Children in Need call Mr Walker on 01373 858584.