Chinese in the UK have donated almost £400,000 ($396,000) to buy masks, goggles and protective clothing for the doctors fighting coronavirus in Wuhan, the city where the outbreak started.

"Dad, please buy the best masks and goggles for them. If we don't take care of the doctors, how could they take care of the patients?" the son of one of the many Chinese donors pleaded with his father at the event held at the Chinese Embassy in London.

The equipment will be bought with the donations and will be delivered by three Chinese airlines – Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Tianjin Airlines – free of charge.

The initial shipment will be delivered within 12 hours of the event closing.

China's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, said overseas Chinese in the UK have a long history of helping the country in difficult times.

"We can always feel their passion and their love to their home country," he said.

One of the donors' big concerns was whether the shipment would receive customs clearance in China. However, it was reported the country will provide fast clearance for overseas donations to the coronavirus fight – although, as the quantity of the donations worldwide is large, the system will be put to the test.