A solicitor has called on the government to start compensating victims of the contaminated blood scandal.

Des Collins, senior partner at Collins Solicitors in Station Road, Watford, is representing more than 1,400 people in relation to the Infected Blood Public Inquiry.

Thousands of haemophiliacs and people receiving blood donations died or became seriously ill with hepatitis and HIV after they were given infected blood products by the NHS during the 1970s and 1980s.

A public inquiry began on April 30 2019 to hear evidence from the victims and families of the scandal.

A year later, and Mr Collins' says progress has been "incredibly slow".

He believes his clients are "urgently" entitled to compensation and not in 2022 when the inquiry findings are expected to be published.

Mr Collins said: "We have achieved a great deal since the hearings opened in April 2019, but by any measure progress is incredibly slow.

"We are expecting the findings of the Inquiry to be published early in 2022, but for many this will be too late as, very sadly, many more victims will have died by the time they are published. We need to keep moving.

"So many of those infected and affected by this tragedy suffer ill health and financial problems as a direct result of infection through no fault of their own."

It is estimated 2,000 infected patients have died.

Fewer than 250 of the haemophiliacs "co-infected" with both Hepatitis C & HIV remain alive, most died before 1997. Those who survive face a lifetime on medication.

Between the end of April 2019 and the end of the first phase of the inquiry in November 2019, 189 people provided public evidence, and more than 2,500 others provided written evidence as core participants to the inquiry, the largest public inquiry ever held in the UK.

The next stage of the inquiry, delayed by coronavirus, is to hear from clinicians who were in practice at the time, now scheduled for mid-September 2020.

Mr Collins continued: "It is critical that the government, which has proved recently that it can move quickly when it has to, urgently starts a meaningful dialogue with campaigners around compensation.

"It is no good to say that discussions must wait until the end of the inquiry - that absolutely is not the case, and the government has never used this excuse before. The time for action is now.

"I remain in no doubt of the importance and value of this Inquiry in getting to the bottom of what happened and why, and to make certain this type of disaster can never again happen in this country."

The Department of Health and Social Care did not respond to an approach for comment.

But a government spokesperson told the Ham & High last month: "The Infected Blood Inquiry is a priority for the Government. The infected blood scandal should never have happened and we established the inquiry so that all those who suffered can get the answers they deserve.

"On January 28, the Minister for the Cabinet Office met with infected blood campaigners and agreed to consider a request to look at a framework for compensation before the inquiry reports."