Victims of the contaminated blood scandal dating back decades, including a St Albans mum, have been asked to take part in a long-awaited government consultation.

MP Jane Ellison, parliamentary Under Secretary of State for public health, yesterday (Thursday) announced the launch of a consultation proposing a new compensation scheme.

Its conclusions could affect a local mother-of-two, ‘Nicky’, who has campaigned hard for fair treatment from the Government after she and thousands of others received contaminated blood in the late 1970s and early ‘80s, despite misgivings from some medical experts at the time.

She has been rocked by the death of fellow haemophiliacs who ended up killed as a result of being given cheap, dodgy blood products the NHS bought from the likes of American convicts.

About 1,200 of those people were infected with HIV, many of whom have died from their infections, and Nicky was one of 5,000 infected with Hepatitis C after being given transfusions of blood products while in hospital.

Nicky, 44, said she feared that, despite the consultation, she will never receive a penny in compensation.

She added: “I will take part in the consultation, but I think it will fall on deaf ears.”

St Albans MP Anne Main said: “I am pleased that, not before time, the government is consulting on the matter. This is a long-running injustice.

“The extra money that will be allocated to those affected by contaminated blood is to be welcomed. But the money must reach those who need it.”

Anne added: “I have sadly seen cases where those affected, who need the payments, have missed out due to some technicality on the old scheme. This is a matter I hope the new scheme will address.

“I would encourage any constituent who has been affected, or has particular knowledge in this area, to respond to the consultation and make your views to the minister known.”

The consultation runs until midnight on Friday, April 15.