THE mother of a five-year-old boy who claims he was damaged by the MMR jab is unimpressed by the new claim.

And the controversial private health company offering separate mumps, measles and rubella injections in Darlington has confirmed it is seeking a permanent base in the town to serve the whole region.

Sandi Collins, whose son Ben developed autism after having the triple vaccination, is one of hundreds of parents hoping to sue the manufacturers of the triple.

Last night, she dismissed the new report as providing nothing new.

"All they are doing is looking at stuff that was done ten years ago. It's a joke" said Mrs Collins, who lives with her husband, Paul, in New Marske, east Cleveland.

"This certainly won't sway North-East parents one bit because they don't trust the Government. They gave us Thalidomide after all," she added.

Direct Health 2000, the London-based private health company that began offering separate jabs from rented accommodation at Darlington's private Woodlands Hospital a few months ago, also dismissed the report as saying "nothing new".

Spokeswoman Kathryn Durnford said the rise in autism cases since 1988 was so marked that it could not be easily explained away.

She confirmed that the clinic was now "actively looking" at premises in Darlington to set up a permanent private primary care centre offering single jabs to parents.