Damages of £35,000 claimed

The 34-year-old schoolteacher, from St Mary's Close, Walton-le-Dale, claims there were insufficient warnings over the use of tampons, which led to her suffering the life-threatening illness.

At one time, the mother-of-two boys - aged five and nine - were told she might not survive.

It was in July 1994, when her youngest son was just a few months old, that she woke with violent vomiting and diarrheoa the day after inserting a tampon. She put the 'flu-like symptoms down to food poisoning, but Mrs Worsley was rushed into the Royal Preston Hospital, suffering hair loss, lack of co-ordination and memory loss. She also lost her zest for life and tires easily.

She has made a good recovery, and her damages for pain and suffering and other expenses have been agreed at £35,000, subject to liability.

Her counsel, John Grace QC, told Mrs Justice Ebsworth she was suing Tembrands Ltd, of Havant, Hampshire, part of the giant Proctor and Gamble group, makers of Tampax, for breach of their statutory duty under the 1987 Consumer Protection Act and for negligence.

He said she was a schoolteacher and an intelligent woman: "Her case is that because she was not given proper, clear and adequate warnings, information and instructions by the manufacturers, her condition was allowed to progress to the point where she nearly died."

He said that if she had been given the proper information she would have removed the tampon, sought medical advice and the illness would not have progressed as it did.

Mr Grace said the case was not about the quality of tampons, nor whether they caused the toxic shock syndrome. He said: "Tampax is not on trial, but its presentation and packaging is."

Tambrands deny liability or negligence and are fighting the claim, which is expected to last until December 13.

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