A SCHOOL that Petersfield youngsters with physical disabilities go to, has welcomed a documentary about the use of infected blood by the NHS at the school.

From around 1975, and into the 1980s, haemophiliac youngsters from across the UK attended Treloars College near Alton, a specialist boarding school for disabled children.

They went there after the opening of a special unit for children with haemophilia, a blood disorder that could see sufferers taking up to a fortnight to recover from minor injuries.

But up to 89 children were given infected blood, and today only 17 are still alive the BBC Panorama documentary will reveal at 9pm on Wednesday, May 10.

Now the survivors are campaigning for a public inquiry into how infected blood came to be used, and which it’s thought killed about 2,000 people nationwide, and left others with HIV and hepatitis

A Treloar spokesman told the Post: “Treloar’s will appear in a programme to which we provided assistance, on the blood scandal of the 1970s and 1980s.

“It will talk about the time when some of our students who had haemophilia were given blood by the NHS which was contaminated with HIV or hepatitis.

“It should be noted that at this time Treloars’s medical centre was working under the strict guidance of the NHS.

“Although no one has suggested that Treloar’s was at fault, it is a tragic part of our past, and it was a very difficult time for our students, their families and our staff.

“Treloar’s was regarded as a ‘sanctuary’ which gave good education and a positive start in life for so many, and none of those affected blame Treloar’s.

“Treloar’s staff always acted in good faith, in what they thought was the best interests of our students.

“We welcome the programme as the blood products scandal was one of the worst medical disasters in the UK and yet it is in danger of being forgotten.

“We have always aimed to be fully supportive of our students and to do what is best for them and we wish all of those impacted by this experience success with their campaign.”