DEMANDS for a public inquiry into Gulf War Syndrome were gathering pace last night.

This followed a landmark ruling that found a link between one of the main symptoms of the illness and injections given to soldiers.

The judgement brings new hope to ex-servicemen in the North-East who were involved in the 1991 conflict and are now battling chronic illness.

Alex Izett, a former Lance Corporal with the Royal Engineers, finally won his ten-year battle for recognition when a War Pensions Appeals Tribunal agreed that the injections he received caused him to develop osteoporosis.

A similar ruling involving another serviceman, Shaun Rusling, the chairman of the Gulf War Veterans' Association, was challenged by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and he is currently awaiting a Court of Appeal judgement on his case.

But the MoD has decided not to appeal against Mr Izett's victory.

Mr Izett, 33, who has suffered from the brittle bone disease for the last eight years, described the decision as a "watershed" moment for all veterans of the first Gulf conflict who claim they were made ill by the injections.

The father-of-two never actually went to the Gulf. But he received the same injections - some designed to counter a biological warfare attack - that are linked by critics to illness among veterans, described as Gulf War Syndrome.

It is his absence from the theatre of war, the inoculations he received and his subsequent slide into ill-health that experts claim provides crucial evidence linking the latter two.

Mr Izett, who is originally from North Lanarkshire, said: "I hope this judgement will have a knock-on effect and that the MoD will now finally tell the truth.

"I'm not only pleased for myself, I'm delighted for the Gulf War veterans' community as a whole.

"I just hope that this opens the floodgates for more cases to come forward."

Last night, campaigners claimed that the MoD's decision not to appeal against the ruling could have significant implications for hundreds of veterans.

They are now calling on all Gulf War veterans to come forward to make their case.

But despite their confidence, Defence Minister Lewis Moonie insisted that there was still no proof that vaccinations were to blame for veterans' ill-health.

He said the tribunal was "not competent" to make judgements on the medical reason for their problems.

Elizabeth Sigmund, from the Gulf Syndrome Study Group, described the MoD response as "utterly inadequate". She said: "Scientifically speaking, the MoD's response is a disgrace."

The judgement, which was given in December, ruled that he should receive a pension in recognition of the physical harm he suffered as a result of his service.

The decision came to light yesterday, because the Government's War Pensions Agency has only just handed the paperwork to Mr Izett.

Charles Plumridge, senior co-ordinator for the National Gulf War Veterans Association, said: "The veterans finally have justice. There must now be a public inquiry."