TWO friends have been driving into war zones in the heart of Ukraine to pick up people and help them flee.

The friends - from Upton Upon Severn - have been risking their lives to help shuttle more than 120 people from the 'red zones' in the war-torn country to the safety of neighbouring countries. 

Peter Shepherd said he made the trip without telling his family because they would 'throw his car keys down the drain.'

Mr Shepherd decided to help out back in February when the conflict broke out.

He bought a Citroen minibus and drove all the way to Ukraine with his best friend Robbie Bott, despite having never driven outside the UK before.

He said: "The grand plan was to drive across Europe and assuming the bus didn’t break down along the way, end up in Ukraine.

"I’d never driven outside of the UK and I’ve certainly never been close to a country at war.

"I knew if I told my family they’d throw the car keys down the drain. So I thought it best not to mention it."

Having arrived in Ukraine in early March, the pair have been driving people out of the "red zones" where they are in danger and helping them get out of Ukraine and into neighbouring countries including Poland and Germany.

So far more than 120 people have been helped to escape, with more than 10 tonnes of food and other supplies delivered.

He added: "We have been shuttling Ukrainians out of red zones and into neighbouring countries, usually Poland.

READ MORE: How Malvern people are trying to help Ukraine

"There, we offer them a night's rest and some food before taking them to their desired destination.

"We've driven families from eastern Poland as far as western Germany before.

"Most Ukrainians ask to be taken to Warsaw train stain or a nearby refugee centre but we’ve driven families as far as western Germany before, it’s about a 32-hour round trip from our base.

"When we're not shuttling Ukrainians, we're delivering supplies to shelters around Eastern and Southern Ukraine."

READ MORE: Malvern supermarket appeal helps raise money for Ukraine

In addition to the people they have helped flee, the duo has also rescued dozens of animals, many of them pets which have been left behind in the chaos.

Many pets have been rejected by public transport or at the border due to insufficient paperwork.

Because of this, many animals have been left astray, wandering around train stations and border crossings looking for food and shelter.

Mr Shepherd is continuing to raise money to help more people, with a Gofundme page at www.gofundme.com/f/6-weeks-in-humanitarian-aid-for-ukraine

He is also documenting his progress via his YouTube channel, which can be found at www.youtube.com/channel/UCaeKzooWq93qQnW4FP3KhbQ