NHS left with 34m doses of swine flu vaccine

The government signed deals for more than 120 million jabs, although just 44 million were bought since swine flu cases took a nose dive from December onwards.

Of those 44 million doses, nearly four million have been shipped to the World Health Organisation for Africa, leaving a whopping 34 million still to be used.

The government has refused to confirm the value of the surplus but experts estimate it is in the region of £100-150 million.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham said: "I am pleased we have reached an agreement that is good value for the taxpayer and means that the department has retained a strategic stockpile to protect the British population without incurring a cancellation fee."

He said the vaccine might also be used to combat seasonal flu this coming winter.