A WOMAN from Melksham who lost her daughter in the Bristol Royal Infirmary scandal has said a landmark legal ruling on organ removal does not go far enough.

Marie Edwards was one of a group of patients that exposed the practice of retaining organs at the BRI.

The High Court announced on Friday that UK hospitals acted illegally taking organs from dead patients without the consent of relatives but Miss Edwards said more needs to be done.

She said: "Years ago body snatchers would go to prison and I don't see why it should be any different now. Just because you work with dead people, it doesn't give you the right to steal from their bodies."

Miss Edwards' daughter, Jazmine, died at the age of five months in 1993 after undergoing heart surgery at the BRI.

The mother later gave evidence at a public inquiry into the number of children undergoing heart surgery at the hospital, which resulted in the dismissal of surgeon Janarda Dhasmana.

The inquiry heard the organs of hundreds of babies, who had died after operations, were kept by the hospital.

This and another organ retention scandal at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool has led to a court battle for thousands of families.

The families involved in the Alder Hey scandal settled out of court at the end of 2002, with each claimant receiving £5,000 compensation.

A similar settlement has not been reached in the cases involving other UK hospitals but, following Friday's ruling, some of these cases may now be able to proceed to court.

Miss Edwards decided against pursuing a compensation claim but has supported those families who are going through the courts.

Withy King solicitors of Trowbridge are representing 10 relatives who have been awaiting the High Court decision, which relates to three test cases, before pursuing their own claims.

In the wake of the scandals the Government has introduced the Human Tissue Bill to prevent any organs being take without relatives' consent.