WOUNDED troops were on the minds of firefighters as they spent a day washing cars for charity.

The Blue Watch crew were out on the forecourt on Saturday last week with their sponges and buckets of soapy water.

And, some 70 or 80 cars later, they had raised �500, which will be split between Help for Heroes and The Fire Fighters Charity.

Fire safety mascot Welephant also lent a helping hand (well, hoof!).

Firefighters were also stationed outside Tesco’s Mutton Lane superstore selling wristbands and collecting cash for the Help for Heroes, which cares for injured servicemen and women.

That raised a further �1,300.

The station has staged car washes before, mainly to raise funds for the fire service’s own national charity, but watch commander Paul Mapp told the Potters Bar Edition they wanted to reach out elsewhere this time.

He said: “We wanted to do something for Help for Heroes.

“You only hear about the deaths [in war zones like Afghanistan], you don’t hear about all the injured.”

He added: “Quite a few of the lads are ex-servicemen themselves, so it’s a charity close to their hearts.”