Pressure is building on the Government to give the meningitis B vaccine to all children aged under 11 as the number of signatories to a petition approaches 700,000 - making it the most popular petition since their introduction.

Huge support for the campaign comes after several high-profile cases involving the devastating virus, that can kill its victims or leave them in need of life-changing amputations.

Pictures of two-year-old Faye Burdett, from Maidstone, Kent, who died from the virus on Valentine's Day, prompted a surge in support for the cause and the petition received a further boost when England rugby hero Matt Dawson revealed his two-year-old son, Sam, was recovering after contracting meningitis C.

Any petition that receives over 100,000 signatures will be considered for debate in Parliament.