CASES of a deadly "superbug" at the region's hospitals are one-third higher than previously admitted, a study has suggested.

Now an MP has accused the department of health (DoH) of "dramatically underestimating" the real scale of Clostridium difficile - an infection more dangerous than MRSA.

Until a few weeks ago, hospitals were required to reveal only the number of C difficile infections in over 65s, the age group most likely to contract it.

Using the Freedom of Information Act, Conservative backbencher Grant Shapps wrote to every trust asking how many under-65s had caught the bug over the past three years.

In reply, the University Hospital of North Tees revealed it had suffered 150 infections in the younger age group, in addition to the 779 already declared.

Similarly, at South Tyneside Hospital, there were 107 cases of C difficile among under-65s between April 2004 and March 2007, on top of 497 known cases.

And at The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust an extra 575 infections were revealed in addition to the 1,232 among over-65s.

It means there were 832 unacknowledged cases at the three trusts - a 33 per cent increase on the 2,508 in the officially declared figures.

If that pattern were repeated at hospitals across the North-East and North Yorkshire, it would mean an extra 2,500 unannounced C difficile infections.

Mr Shapps said: "We now know that C difficile infects eight times as many people as the far better-known MRSA and it actually kills twice as many patients.

"I'm calling on the Government to recognise and then get to grips with the true scale of the problem."

With 55,000 cases of C difficile in 2006 - infection rates are on the rise, unlike the better-known superbug, MRSA.

Found in the gut of up to three per cent of healthy adults and 66 per cent of infants, the bacterium rarely causes problems.

However, C difficile thrives if disturbed by antibiotics, causing severe diarrhoea and severe inflammation of the bowel, which can be life threatening.

The DoH said tackling all hospital-acquired infections was one of "four key priorities for the NHS" for the coming year, with £50m made available to trusts.

A spokesman said: "We have recognised that C difficile is a growing problem. We have improved the surveillance system and it will be mandatory to report on all cases, from age two upwards."