THE Government's £60m flu vaccination campaign has become a victim of its own success, with supplies running short and doctors blaming Whitehall for not ordering enough.

Nearly 11 million doses of vaccine have been delivered to GP surgeries - more than ever before - to head off another winter hospital beds crisis.

But in spite of this, doctors say they are being forced to turn patients away because of the unprecedented demand.

It is estimated that more than two million vulnerable people who want the jab are still unprotected only weeks before the flu season starts.

For maximum protection vulnerable patients should be immunised before the end of this month.

This year's scheme - backed by a £2.5m publicity campaign fronted by former boxer Henry Cooper - is the most ambitious yet.

The Department of Health hopes to immunise two out of three people aged 65 and over.

Officials hope the plan will slash hospital admissions in the North-East this winter by up to 60 per cent and reduce deaths by 40 per cent.

If the vaccination scheme falls short, it will prove a major embarrassment for Health Secretary Alan Milburn.

Dr George Rae, British Medical Association spokesman in the North of England, said: "Some GPs in the region cannot get vaccine for love nor money."

Experts say patients aged over 65, or in high-risk groups such as people with heart and lung disease and diabetes, should be immunised before the end of November. The flu season usually begins in December.

Dr Rae blamed the Government for failing to give the vaccine industry and GPs enough advanced warning to allow the demand to be met.

"The advertising campaign has turned out to be a victim of its own success," said Dr Rae.

"Really, they should have been ordering about 13 million doses of vaccine, and ordering them well in advance.

"We have none left in our practice and the local pharmacists are pulling their hair out trying to get vaccines - it is almost impossible."

Dr Andrew Oakenfull, secretary of County Durham Local Medical Committee, said his practice in Ferryhill had ordered about 1,600 doses - the same as last year - but they had had requests from 2,300 people.

"We have already offered 20 per cent more than normal but it is the other 20 per cent we are having difficulty getting," he said.

"We hope to get some more vaccine in at the beginning of December, but we can't guarantee anything."

Dr Oakenfull said the vaccine industry had not been given enough warning of the extra doses needed.

Health bosses in County Durham confirmed that "about ten practices" were experiencing difficulties in obtaining vaccine but measures were being taken to ensure extra doses got through.

A spokeswoman for Tees Health Authority reported a high take-up. New stocks are expected next month.

Dr John Givans, secretary of North Yorkshire Local Medical Committee, said: "We have had one or two incidents of practices running out and having to wait for further supplies."

A spokesman for the Department of Health insisted that GPs and the vaccine industry had been given adequate advanced warning of the publicity drive.

"If doctors are saying they have met their targets and they still have people asking for vaccines, then it is a question of how much they ordered," he said.

The spokesman said GPs had been sent a message in May and a reminder in August to order more vaccines for the immunisation drive in the autumn.

Official statistics showed that the campaign had been a success with 10.8 million doses of vaccine produced and 10.7 million delivered to GPs.

"If there are difficulties, all we can say is that we can try to feed them extra vaccine," he added.

A spokesman for the UK Vaccine Industry Group said it was confident that there would be sufficient supplies of flu vaccine to meet the Department of Health's target of immunising more than eight million people