Survivors of the infected blood scandal will finally be given compensation - years after the death of a tireless campaigner from Kent.

Steve Dymond, from Broadstairs, was one of hundreds of people who were given contaminated blood during transfusions in the 1970s and 80s.

Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants the money to be paid to victims and their surviving partners, labelling it the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.

Those affected will be given compensation payments of £100,000, the government has announced - but campaigners say the majority of those affected have been ignored.

Mr Dymond became a leading figure in the fight for justice, making regular appearances on television to highlight the scandal.

He was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1997 while he was living in France following unexplained symptoms of severe mood swings, debilitating fatigue and muscle pain.

After an agonising wait, a breakthrough in treatment saw Mr Dymond trial new medication.

Miraculously, it left him free of the disease within three months, but by that time his organs were irreparably damaged and he had developed liver cancer. Sadly, he died in 2018.

His wife, Su Gorman, says she has "mixed feelings" about today's announcement.

"It means a huge amount that they have finally admitted they need to give compensation," she told KentOnline.

"But the fact that so many people are still excluded and relatives of the dead are still not recognised in the compensation packet - the children and parents - makes it very difficult.

"I am glad that Steve’s death has been accepted and he hasn’t been stricken from the list because he is dead.

"I have mixed feelings but it is a huge step. They have admitted compensation is due and there is liability."

The scandal led to about 2,400 deaths of patients infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.

Final recommendations from a public inquiry on compensation for a wider group of people – such as bereaved parents and the children of victims – are expected when the inquiry concludes next year.

The government says it intends to make payments to those who have been infected and bereaved partners in England by the end of October. The same payments will be made in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Mr Johnson said: "While nothing can make up for the pain and suffering endured by those affected by this tragic injustice, we are taking action to do right by victims and those who have tragically lost their partners by making sure they receive these interim payments as quickly as possible.

"We will continue to stand by all those impacted by this horrific tragedy, and I want to personally pay tribute to all those who have so determinedly fought for justice.”

Most of those involved had the blood-clotting disorder haemophilia and relied on regular injections of the US product Factor VIII to survive.

They were unaware they were receiving contaminated Factor VIII from people who were paid to donate, including prisoners and drug addicts.

Patients were given the product for years despite repeated warnings at the top of government.

New cases of HIV and hepatitis continued to be diagnosed decades after the first contaminations, resulting in many early deaths.

Wednesday’s announcement follows a review of compensation for those affected by the scandal.

The inquiry, which was announced by then-prime minister Theresa May in 2017 and began the following year, has taken evidence from more than 5,000 witnesses during hearings across all four nations of the UK. It is due to conclude next year.

It featured harrowing evidence from patients and their families. They described being kept in the dark about the risk of HIV infection among haemophiliac patients, having to keep their diagnoses private through fear of vilification at the time of the Aids crisis, and living with the physical effects of HIV.

Others accused the government of an “industrial-scale cover-up” amid allegations of inappropriate treatment given to patients, tests being done on people without their knowledge, and the results being withheld for several years.

Kate Burt, chief executive of the Haemophilia Society, said: "Finally, after nearly five decades, the Government has accepted it must pay compensation to those infected as a result of the contaminated blood scandal.

"This is a significant development. However, the majority of the bereaved – including parents and the children of those who died – will receive nothing.

"Steps must be taken now to set up a workable scheme which can deliver full compensation quickly and fairly to all those who suffered devastating loss because of this NHS treatment disaster."