A BLACKBURN man who contracted Hepatitis C after being given contaminated blood said the discovery of a new memo shows the Government tried to avoid responsibility for the scandal.

John Smith, not his real name, a haemophiliac was one of 4,670 people infected with Hepatitis C.

The scandal caused the deaths of more than 2,400 people from AIDS and Hepatitis C after the British Government purchased blood from the USA in the 1970s and 1980s to give to haemophiliacs and blood transfusion patients when selling blood from prison inmates was permitted.

A memo written by former Conservative Secretary of State for Social Security John Moore relating to a meeting to discuss the unfolding contaminated blood scandal on November 4, 1987 has recently been unearthed by campaigner Jason Evans, whose father Jonathan was infected with both HIV and Hepatitis C and died in 1993.

Sky News reported Mr Moore acknowledged the scale of the problem in the memo.

Mr Smith said the discovery of the memo was more evidence of a government cover up.

He said: “I don’t know what else they need to prove it.

“After Jason publicised the memo the government said nothing, which shows they are still trying to keep it quiet.

“They need to start doing their apologising now because this memo proves they were responsible and they tried to cover it up.

“If they don’t, there’s nothing to stop this happening again.

“History does repeat itself and they need to learn from their mistakes.

“If not it will get swept under the rug and people will forget and there’s nothing to stop this happening to another group.

“The owe the respect to the dead and justice to the living.

A spokesman from the Department of Health said: “The infected blood scandal of the 1970s and 80s is an appalling tragedy which should simply never have happened, which is why this government committed to a full inquiry to ensure that victims and their families finally get the answers they have spent decades waiting for.

"Views put forward in the consultation will now be considered and the nature of the inquiry will be announced in due course."

The revelations come with campaigners still awaiting details of how the Government intends to proceed with an inquiry into the scandal promised by Theresa May.