A North Yorkshire couple who lost their son to human BSE are among dozens of families starting legal action against the Government for allegedly failing to protect their food from infected beef.

Relatives of 39 people who have died since May 1995 are seeking damages and Betty and Barry Hodgkinson, of Harrogate, whose son, Adrian, died in February 1997, are among them.

Betty said: "Any compensation won't bring Adrian back. It's for our pain and suffering. It's an insult when farmers are getting billions in compensation for lost cattle through all this, but there's nothing for the human loss."

News of the claims comes after the recent death of 25-year-old Bridlington man Jason Keat, who died from CJD after working in an abattoir.

His story has supported a York widow's theory that her husband died from the disease after working in similar surroundings.Jason's official cause of death was "new variant CJD".

Although he enjoyed meat, his family are convinced his death had more to do with the fact that he daily dealt with meat in his job.

His fate comes three years after the death of York man, Len Franklin, whose inquest revealed that he died of an old strain of CJD.

He also worked at an abattoir for about a year, following a previous career as a mechanic.

His widow, Olga Franklin, said today: "It's strange that Len was never ill, and then contracted CJD after only a year in an abattoir."

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