No decision was made today on whether haemophiliac former pupils of Treloar’s can proceed with their claim for damages against the Alton school.

The Senior Master at the High Court in London did not reach a conclusion about their Group Litigation Order application following a one-day permission hearing.

Advised by Collins Solicitors, lead claimant Gary Webster represented 36 former pupils - including Adrian Goodyear, Steve Nicholls, Richard Warwick and the families of some of the 72 who have died - in the claim following flawed and allegedly unlawful treatment at Treloar’s in the 1970s and 1980s.

The victims were infected with viruses including Hepatitis A, B and C, and HIV, as a result of receiving contaminated Factor VIII and Factor IX based blood products as haemophilia treatment at an NHS clinic on the school site.

Those still alive have suffered lifelong ill health and life-affecting consequences, including physical and psychological harm. Their claim against the trust governing the school was filed in January 2022.

A Treloar’s spokesperson said: “After careful consideration of the evidence, the judge has decided to reserve his judgment on a Group Litigation Order. Both parties have put forward their arguments in this case and they will now be carefully considered.

“While we fully sympathise with our former students’ campaign, we firmly believe that the best route to receive timely and substantial recompense is via the government compensation scheme.

“We urge the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to pay the levels of compensation that have already been set as soon as possible.”