A mother from Stonehaven, a town situated on the north-east coast of Scotland, has vowed to take a legal claim to the European court of human rights.

Wendy Stephen alleges that the MMR vaccine triggered health problems experienced by her daughter Katie.

Now 17, the youngster became ill and suffered a fever after she was given an early form of the vaccine as a toddler, the Press and Journal reports.

She is now deaf in her left ear and her family claims this is a result of being administered the substance.

Legal action was initially launched in 2001 against GlaxoSmithKline. However, Ms Stephen was refused legal aid on the grounds that not enough children had been affected by the vaccine, which was withdrawn from use in 1992.

She commented: "My next step is the European court of human rights and I will continue to fight like fury for my daughter, even if it means going to Strasbourg."

Meanwhile, a GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman refused to make comment on the case.