Clinic destroys frozen sperm in blunder

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) made the admission after reports cancer patients could be among those affected and may have lost their chance to father children, having chosen to use the clinic before starting treatment which could leave them infertile.

Bosses at the south Wales facility are understood to have dismissed fears over the ability of patients to parent children but the Welsh Assembly Government is calling for action to improve standards,

The health board, which hosts the IVF Wales clinic, claims lessons have been learned from the problems and in a statement said work is continuing to identify affected patients, none of whom have yet needed to be contacted.