A PRIVATE clinic giving Scots children single jabs for measles, mumps and rubella was full to capacity yesterday.

Organisers said the demand proved that parents are still not convinced the triple MMR vaccine is safe.

About 80 kids had measles injections at the one-day session in Glasgow - the first private clinic of its kind in Scotland.

Other families waited for cancelled appointments and around 450 babies were put on a waiting list.

The company behind the scheme, London-based Choice Healthcare, only advertised the service last week. They needed extra staff to handle the demand.

The course of three jabs costs about £250.

But the price has not deterred parents who fear the MMR jab causes autism and bowel disorders.

Mauva Williams, a nurse consultant at Choice Healthcare, said: "It seems like almost everyone in Glasgow wants to have their children vaccinated with us.

"There is a standby list, so if a child is ill, somebody else can take their place."

Ms Williams said the demand was so high because parents had not been properly reassured about MMR. She claimed: "The Government have failed to have independent research carried out.

"Tony Blair should have admitted whether his baby son had the MMR jab."

Choice's director of services, David Billet, added: "The phones have been ringing ever since we arranged to come to Glasgow. We had to bring in extra staff to help us out."

The three jabs given by Choice Healthcare cost around £85 each.

The measles injection is given first, followed three months later by the mumps jab.

The final vaccination, for rubella, is given after another three-month wait.

Only one Scots medical practice, GP Plus in Edinburgh, offers single jabs. There is a 10-week waiting list for the service.

Choice Healthcare will return to the Regency Clinic in Glasgow in January to vaccinate more babies. A second firm from London, Direct Remedies, are running a clinic in the city next month.

The Scottish Executive insists there is no evidence MMR can harm children and no need to offer single vaccines on the NHS.

But a study in September found only 88.6 per cent of children under two have had the MMR injection in Scotland.

Doctors say at least 95 per cent of youngsters need to be vaccinated to avoid outbreaks of rubella, measles and mumps.