I AM writing to highlight the plight of those infected and affected by the contaminated blood disaster, and to ask for your readers' help. So far, more than 2,000 people have died as a result of infections such as HIV and hepatitis and it was recently reported that hundreds of haemophiliacs have also been exposed to vCJD; the human form of Mad Cow Disease.

On February 23, Lord Archer of Sandwell presented the report of his two-year-long inquiry into this tragedy. In the report he makes several recommendations, including adequate funding for the UK Haemophilia Society, a Statutory Haemophilia Committee that includes patient representation, and proper compensation for victims and their dependants. This compensation, he said, should be at least at the level previously awarded in Ireland.

I am the secretary of the campaign group TaintedBlood (www.taintedBlood.info) and we have recently added a petition to the Prime Minister's Number 10 petition website. In less than a month the petition has gained 2,640 signatures and is currently in 50th place out of a total of 4,837 petitions. It urges the Government to implement Lord Archer's recommendations. We believe it is imperative that the government acts swiftly and urgently to do this, as people are currently dying at the rate of more than one a month without having any answers as to how this was allowed to happen and without knowing whether their families will be made financially secure in the future. On one day alone, recently, there were two funerals, two widows and two grieving families, including seven children.

Please sign the online petition to help bring about justice for this group of people whom Lord Morris of Manchester once referred to as: "…this stricken community".

Visit: petitions.number10. gov.uk/contaminated/

SUE THREAKALL,

Village Street,

Bishops Tawton.