Faulty surgical equipment has forced surgeons to cancel 15 operations in one week.

The patients were all to have their tonsils removed at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, but new disposable apparatus caused some people to vomit while on the operating table.

As a result, staff have returned the instruments to the supplier and all operations have been postponed.

Tonsillectomies had only just been resumed after Department of Health orders in February that the operations could be performed using disposable equipment only. The precautions were taken because of the small risk of contracting variant CJD.

The limited amount of throw-away instruments across the UK meant the RI had to wait for new supplies. Now it has been discovered that these are defective.

The problem arose as four-year-old Nathan Stacey, of Elizabeth Avenue, Abingdon,was due to have his operation, which he has waited two years to receive.

As reported in the Oxford Mail earlier this year, his mother, Joanne, 29, was angry it had taken so long, particularly as the same surgeons would be able to operate on Nathan privately a few yards away at the Acland Hospital.

Earlier this year, his operation was cancelled because staff had no disposable equipment.

Nathan was to have had his operation on Monday, but the family were only told it had been cancelled last Friday.

Mrs Stacey said: "We have no idea how long it will take. Staff must have known for a while, yet they only phoned to cancel on Friday. I understand why they are being cautious, but it's so frustrating."

A spokesman for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, responsible for the RI, said the cancellations were made for the health and safety of patients.

She said: "On medical advice, the trust has made the decision to stop tonsillectomy operations until the supplier provides the RI with improved instruments.

"The company which provides the equipment has advised the trust that functional disposable instruments will be provided as soon as possible. However, staff are still awaiting the arrival of this equipment.

"The trust apologises to the Stacey family since their son, Nathan, has had his appointment cancelled twice because of the instrumentation problem."