CAMPAIGNERS from Colchester struck down by Lyme Disease staged a protest at Parliament.

Sarah Warren, from Lexden, who has lived with the debilitating illness for 10 years, organised Tuesday's protest at Parliament Square in London.

She said: "All of the organisers of the Lyme protest and the vast majority of the people there had chronic Lyme disease.

"We are totally exhausted after a very successful protest.

"We also had five MPs support us on the day."

Colchester's MP Will Quince was among them and chatted with Mrs Warren to hear her concerns.

Mrs Warren, 48, and fellow campaigners say NHS tests to diagnose the disease are only 60 per cent accurate meaning many patients opt to pay for private ones which they say are more accurate.

Sufferers also pay for treatment privately.

A petition Lyme Disease awareness campaigners ran recently was yesterday acknowledged by the Government in writing.

It had more than 10,000 signatures.

And earlier this month Government ministers ordered a major review of the diagnosis, treatment and transmission of the disease borne out of the flesh-eating bug.

Public Health minister Jane Ellison made the announcement in the House of Commons following campaigning about the rising number of cases with the condition.