AN expert in Gulf War Syndrome last night accused the Government of "gross neglect" as he warned of an onslaught of cancerous diseases among soldiers returning from Iraq.

Professor Malcolm Hooper, chief scientific advisor to the British Gulf War veterans, said he feared soldiers could soon start showing symptoms of debilitating illnesses, such as leukaemia, because they had been exposed to the deadly dust depleted uranium (DU), which is used in weapons.

Mr Hooper, emeritus professor in medicinal chemistry at Sunderland University, spoke out after four soldiers threatened to take legal action against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) after suffering possible symptoms of a Gulf War II Syndrome.

Stephen Cartwright, 24, of Kidderminster, Worcestershire, and Tony Barker, 45, from Leeds, are among the four who received multiple inoculations in one day.

Mr Cartwright, a Royal Engineers reservist sapper, developed a severe rash, swelling and fever and spent four days in an isolation unit following the jabs. He was not deployed to the Gulf.

Mr Barker, who was deployed in northern Kuwait as a Royal Logistics Corps driver, had to be flown back to the UK after experiencing fainting, dizzy spells and soaring high blood pressure.

The Territorial Army lance corporal had received five vaccinations in one day along with two anthrax jabs.

The two other soldiers, who want to remain anonymous, are based in Germany and are still serving.

Their solicitor, Mark McGhee, of Manchester law firm Linder Myers, said the men were threatening to sue the MoD after suffering "severe physical and psychological symptoms".

Last night, Professor Hooper said he feared scores of other soldiers would return with even deadlier conditions such as lymphoma, a tumour of the lymphoid tissue, and leukaemia as well as complaints of a Gulf War II Syndrome.

About 300 tonnes of DU dust was used in the last Gulf War. Inhalation of the particles does irrevocable damage to the kidneys, immune system and nervous system.

Mr Hooper said he also had fears over the soldiers' exposure to pesticides and anti-nerve gas tablets, which he believes contributes to tissue damage.

"I see the case of the four soldiers as a very uncomfortable warning that this could be going sadly wrong again," he said. "The real reason is that the MoD has neither really learned from its mistakes of the past nor admitted them. It is gross neglect of the health of the troops."

He called for the health of soldiers to be closely monitored by clinical specialists upon their return rather than soldiers being left to simply fill in questionnaires.

Veterans in the North-East suffering from Gulf War Syndrome expressed anger that the Government had yet to learn from the mistakes of 1991.

Chris Lines, 33, from Hartlepool, said his life had been ruined by Gulf War Syndrome. A former private with the 43rd Royal Ordnance Corps, he blamed the "cocktail of vaccinations" he took before flying to the Middle-East and has a claim lodged with the MoD.

"It really does not surprise me that it's starting all over again with these four," he said.

The family of David Robertson, 43, from Durham, believe the symptoms of his illness - regular seizures, sores, and chronic fatigue - are due to depleted uranium exposure.

His mother, Georgina Patrick-Hilland, said: "These men have just been used as guinea pigs.

"I feel so bitter that the Government have yet to recognise it or give the men the money they deserve."

Earlier this month, Defence Minister Lewis Moonie announced that troops returning from the Gulf would be monitored for possible physical or psychological concerns