A victim of what has been described as the biggest-ever NHS scandal has lost his fight for life.

Steve Dymond, from Broadstairs, was one of hundreds of people who were given contaminated blood during transfusions in the 1970s and 80s.

The NHS had bought blood products from the USA in the 1970s which had been taken from prisoners and not screened.

Thousands of people were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C, with at least 2,400 dying.

There are huge questions about how and why the blood treatment, known as Factor VIII, was given to patients when the government knew there were risks of infection.

In July, Prime Minister Theresa May announced a public inquiry into the scandal - but Mr Dymond will not be around to see it to its conclusion after he passed away this morning.

Steve was diagnosed with Hepatitis C around 1997 while the couple were living in France; during that time, unexplained symptoms of severe mood swings, debilitating fatigue, and muscle pain had put an unimaginable strain on their marriage.

After an agonising wait, a breakthrough in treatment saw Steve trial new medication.

Miraculously, it left him free of the disease within three months, but by that time his organs were irreparably damaged and he had developed liver cancer.

News of his death comes just weeks after he wrote an article for KentOnline describing his battle and his involvement with the pressure group Tainted Blood.

He wrote: "Day to day, I live in a state of uncertainty and fear."

Mr Dymond became a leading figure in the fight for justice, making regular appearances on televison to highlight the scandal.

A spokesman for Tainted Blood said tonight: "We are deeply saddened to have to tell you that Su Gorman's husband Steve Dymond, passed away in the early hours of this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with Su and her family. Rest in peace, Steve."