YORK health chiefs said today they were taking steps to combat the rising tide of sexually transmitted diseases, as MPs warned of an "appalling" crisis in the nation's sexual health.

Local health experts said York was suffering from an increase in sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) - but they were already providing extra resources, including special sexual health clinics for young people.

A hard-hitting report from the Parliamentary Health Select Committee published today, warns that long-term under-funding has left NHS sexual health clinics in England unable to cope with demand.

Ignorance of the dangers of unprotected sex is most alarming among young people, especially men, the committee said in its report on the Government's National Sexual Health And HIV Strategy For England.

One in ten sexually active young women in England is infected with chlamydia, syphilis rates have increased by 500 per cent in the last six years, and gonorrhoea rates have doubled, the MPs said.

With clinics turning "hundreds" of people away each week the report calls for the introduction of a National Service Framework for sexual health to set a target of 48 hours for potentially infected patients to get access to genito-urinary medicine (GUM) services.

In addition, the Government must "urgently review" staffing levels and introduce a national chlamydia screening programme "immediately".

York is one of ten locations across the country chosen to launch a £150,000 chlamydia screening programme later this year, to cut the increasing numbers of male and female sufferers in the city.

Experts believe that at least half - and perhaps as many as 75 per cent - of sufferers in the city are unaware that they have an infection and are therefore putting themselves and their partners at risk.

At York College health promotion advisors have been giving out free condoms to pupils as part of a government-funded scheme to prevent disease and reduce teenage pregnancies.

A York Health Services NHS Trust spokesman said: "They are managing the situation in York, they are opening up more clinics and more services.

"There has been an overall increase in STIs, especially chlamydia, but our clinics are actually open five days a week now and we are getting more people through the doors."

Today's report recommended that sex and relationships should be made a compulsory part of the National Curriculum.

David Hinchliffe, chairman of the committee, said: "Changing people's attitude to sex cannot happen overnight.

"But it is vital we commit ourselves to prioritising sexual health and improving the way in which we educate young people, especially young men, about relationships and sex if we are going to prevent an even worse situation being passed on to the next generation of young people."

Public Health Minister Hazel Blears insisted that the Government recognised the significance of the deteriorating sexual health of the nation.

Updated: 10:28 Wednesday, June 11, 2003