A RISCA man is calling for Wales to go further than England’s new plans to compensate people like him who contracted Hepatitis C through contaminated blood.

This week the UK government announced it will double one off-payments for English victims of the contaminated blood scandal, who develop liver cirrhosis or cancer, from £25,000 to £50,000.

Victims will also receive annual payments of £12,800, but sufferers in Wales are still waiting to hear what support they will receive.

Meanwhile people who have developed a chronic Hepatitis C infection but not liver cirrhosis or cancer will also not get anything extra under the new scheme.

Now Risca Hepatitis sufferer Wayne Gambin has called for the Welsh Assembly Government to not only introduce the new payments but to extend them to people like him, who are classed as having stage one of the disease.

Mr Gambin said the government’s announcement, made following a review into compensation for contaminated blood victims, was a “big let down”.

"I still hope that they will extend it to Wales but to stage one as well as stage two [sufferers]."

He has accepted a £20,000 one-off compensation payment, but has previously said people like himself should be entitled to £400,000 for the effect it has had on his life.

The Welsh Assembly Government said the UK government had not shared the review with it prior to the announcement of the new scheme on Monday, and hopes to be in a position to make an announcement on the way forward in Wales in the coming weeks.