Terry Bishop, whose wife died of CJD, was meeting other victims' relatives today to decide whether to accept the Government's compensation package.

Mr Bishop's wife, Jayne, 53, a former nurse, who died at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, in January 1998, was one of the first to die from Creutzfeld Jacob Disease the human form of BSE (mad cow disease).

Now Mr Bishop, of Farm Close Road, Wheatley, is expected to share a multi-million pound compensation package with 83 others.

He refused to reveal how much money he was being offered, but described the sum as 'derisory'. But he added he wanted to accept the Government's offer simply because he wants his family's suffering to end.

The former policeman said: "A few of the other families are unhappy and I can understand why many have been through far more than I did. It's a really terrible story.

"But I have two boys and I just want to draw a line under it all and move on. I want it all to end. The figure being offered is in my opinion a derisory figure when I consider how much it cost me to look after Jayne in social care packages and now there's the legal fees."

The relatives must now decide whether to accept one lump sum, or a smaller lump sum plus on-going monthly payments. But some relatives are unhappy and could take court action for a better deal.