Enfield's council chief has renewed calls to protect all children in the borough from TB by reinstalling a blanket vaccination programme.

Cllr Michael Rye has spoken out after latest figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show cases of tuberculosis in the UK are at their highest levels since 1999.

London saw the highest proportion of cases, with cases of TB rising from 3,129 in 2004 to 3,479 in 2005.

Last month Enfield Primary Care Trust (PCT) sparked outrage among parents when it said children aged 13 and above would not be routinely immunised against TB, under new Government guidelines.

Experts believe the jab is pointless for most children, because they are unlikely to contract the disease.

Instead, only infants in high risk groups, newly arrived immigrants from specified countries and children whose parents lived in a country with a high TB rate will be entitled to the jab.

Cllr Mike Rye said: "I am amazed in the face of such evidence, as shown by the HPA, Enfield PCT is still sticking to its guns that it will only innoculise children who are from a certain ethnicity.

"I again call upon Enfield PCT to rethink this dangerous stance, and ensure all our children are protected from tuberculosis."