A PRIVATE health care company has announced plans to open a permanent clinic in the North-East offering separate vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella.

Direct Health 2000, a London-based firm, is hoping to open the centre in the heart of Health Secretary Alan Milburn's Darlington constituency.

Though the organisation admits that the plans are at an early stage they say it will 'definitely' happen in order to meet the demands of parents in the region.

Managing Director of Direct Health 2000, Sarah Dean said: "We want to open a permanent clinic in Darlington.

"We are making inquiries and these are proceeding quite well. We are a primary health care group and we will be able to offer other services, not just the single vaccines"

The announcement was made as the first 400 families brought their children to Darlington for immunisation at the private Woodlands Hospital, paying £240 each for the full course of three jabs.

The company said that as many as 1,800 families had wanted to come along but appointments were fully booked.

But a spokesman for County Durham and Darlington Health Authority said the company was seizing the opportunity to exploit parents who voiced their concerns.

He said: "Certainly people are very concerned at the moment. This private company is seizing the opportunity to exploit that.

"Research into MMR has showed that it is safe and it is recognised as safe in dozens of countries.

"No research has been done into single vaccines to know if they are safe or effective."

Debbie Cole, the mother from Annitsford, North Tyneside, who persuaded the company to come to the region, is delighted at the news that a permanent clinic is to be set up.

Mrs Cole, who took her 18-month-old daughter Jennifer along to be immunised, said: "I will be absolutely delighted if they could have a permanent base here in the North-east.

"There is such a demand from people in this area. They already have over 300 people on the waiting list.

"There is a lot of concern. I talked to parents at the weekend and they were grateful for somebody instigating this clinic.

"They have similar concerns over the possible links with autism and Crohn's disease and they are not prepared to be a statistic."

Direct Health 2000 has already opened a permanent clinic in Liverpool.