FAMILIES of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) victims took their legal battle for greater awareness of the condition to Europe yesterday.

They want the European Union to introduce legislation to force airlines to step up information to combat DVT and reduce the risk to passengers.

Alayne Wake, 28, died of the condition - known as economy class syndrome - as she flew from Singapore to spend Christmas with her father, Kevin, and other family members in Sunderland, Wearside. She collapsed just 30 minutes before the 13- and-a-half hour Singapore Airlines flight was due to land at London's Heathrow, on December 20, 2001.

Mr Wake said at the time that he hoped her death would raise awareness of the condition and help prevent other families from having to go through it.

Families of other DVT victims in the country lobbied Euro MPs and the European Commission yesterday. They want the EU to ensure airlines provide health briefings before take-off and information on preventative action on airline tickets and passenger information. They also want more EU funds to be allocated to research projects assessing the health risks from DVT, particularly on long-haul flights.

The EU and the British Government are already backing an international study which will, hopefully, devise new guidelines to protect airline passengers from the potentially- fatal blood clots.

Dr Patrick Kesteven, a consultant haematologist at the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle, is playing a leading role on the scientific committee of the Wright Study.

The study, which will report to the World Health Organisation, is expected to take four years.

Dr Kesteven said yesterday he hoped to get preliminary answers by the end of the year and good answers within two years.

"The main thing is to find out who's at risk," he said. "It seems clear that those who get into trouble on airlines are those who carry risks of DVT anyway.

"But we need to try and if the problem is just from sitting still or is there something on the airplanes which is risky."