Health bosses have apologised to scores of women patients who suffered botched operations at the hands of two surgeons.

The women, who were treated by disgraced gynaecologists Peter Silverstone and Janusz Wszeborowski, were let down by years of failures, according to an independent report.

NHS procedures for dealing with the two doctors were slow, bureaucratic and legalistic, the report found.

Former patients were left with dead babies and horrific scars.

The women have been campaigning for ten years for an inquiry into their treatment.

The report is the latest example of a series of scandals involving poor treatment or bungled operations by gynaecologists, including Richard Neale and Rodney Ledward.

After Silverstone and Wszeborowski were struck off, a total of 87 women came forward to claim they had suffered at the surgeons' hands during their time at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Gateshead.

Silverstone, formerly of Gosforth, Newcastle, worked at the hospital from 1977 to 1994, before resigning when disciplinary proceedings were launched by the trust.

The General Medical Council struck him off in 2001 for bungling hysterectomy and circumcision operations.

Wszeborowski, of Gates-head, was also struck off in the same year because he had "acted inappropriately and with gross insensitivity" while using forceps to deliver babies.

One boy was delivered with his head swollen to twice its normal size and with a black eye.

Chris Reed, chief executive of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: "First of all, I would like to say on behalf of the trust how sorry we are that the care received by some of the patients of Mr Peter Silverstone and Dr Janusz Wszeborowski was not what they should have expected.

"We regret that the systems the NHS has in place today were not in place 12 or 13 years ago to deal with concerns that patients had about the care they received or concerns by doctors and nurses about the standard of care a colleague was providing."

Dr Bill Kirkup, regional director of public health for the North-East, said: "I am sorry that the patients of these two doctors suffered physical damage, pain and mental stress.

"They were entitled to expect the best possible treatment from the NHS and they did not get it.

"We cannot turn the clock back - but we can promise today's patients better protection from doctors who are not up to the job.

"And the NHS will continue to modernise and improve its systems to minimise the risk of unacceptable clinical practice in our hospitals."