REVELATIONS that a two-year-old boy died after controversial surgical instruments were used have caused new upset for a bereaved North-East family.

When 33-year-old Elaine Basham, of east Cleveland, died after what should have been a routine operation last November, the Government banned the use of new disposable instruments.

Now, Miss Basham's parents have discovered that another patient died following an operation with the same type of instruments - five months before Elaine was operated on.

Despite the death of Crawford Roney, from Cheshire, surgeons at North Riding Infirmary, in Middlesbrough used electrically-heated forceps on Miss Basham.

Concerns about the disposable instruments, introduced because of fears of spreading new variant CJD, were already being investigated by the authorities.

After Miss Basham's death, the instruments were withdrawn.

Her mother, Julie Basham, from Loftus, said: "I was devastated when I saw this story.

"It has brought back the anger and upset my family felt following Elaine's death."

She said it appeared that warnings about the possible dangers with the disposable electrically-heated forceps were ignored, resulting in a tragedy.

Doctors at the private Alexandra Hospital, in Cheadle, Cheshire, used the same type of disposable equipment during the operation to remove Crawford's tonsils.

A few days after the operation his father found him dead in bed.

An inquest found that the boy died after inhaling his own blood following a haemorrhage.

Nicholas Holmes, the solicitor representing the Basham family, said: "The Department of Health should have investigated the concerns over the equipment after the first death. It seems that we are again being faced by a tragedy that could have been prevented."

A spokesman for the Department of Health said the instruments were withdrawn after complaints from doctors that they were too "powerful".