More than a hundred patients, including children, have been given a health scare after they were told any jabs over the past five years may have ineffective.

Warning letters went out after problems were discovered with fridge storage at Maypole surgery in Surbiton stretching from January 2003 to March 2008.

Patients were told vaccines may not have worked properly and invited back to "discuss any further vaccinations they may have needed."

According to Kingston Primary Care Trust which will discuss the "serious untoward incident" at its next board meeting, 164 of the 2,108 patients were affected.

Dr Stuart Mackie, senior doctor at the GP practice in Hook Road said: "I would like to apologise for any anxiety or inconvenience this may have caused to our patients.

"We have taken expert advice and can give assurance that issues with vaccine storage arrangements have now been resolved."

And the Health Protection Agency confirmed: "We have given advice and they have taken it."

Unison South West representative Michael Walker said: "I would have thought most of the stuff given out was routine rather than life-threatening. If they were vaccinations for travel it might not have been so amusing."

• Did you get a letter? Contact the Surrey Comet on 0208 330 9547 or leave a comment below.