Dozens of families are having their children inoculated with single vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella.

The first clinic in Sussex to offer single jabs as an alternative to the controversial triple MMR vaccination is being held in Brighton on Sunday.

More than 70 children from Brighton and Hove and across the county have been booked in for the session at the Holistic Health Clinic in Beaconsfield Road.

The session has been set up by the private healthcare company Healthchoice UK.

Company director Kathryn Durnford said: "There has been a high demand for these vaccinations in the area and having such a large number attending the first clinic is quite surprising.

"It shows there is a lot of concern in Sussex about the MMR vaccine."

Separate vaccinations are not available on the NHS so parents will have to pay to have their child inoculated.

Demand for single vaccinations has grown because of concerns about an alleged link between the MMR jab and autism and Crohn's disease.

The Department of Health insists the vaccine is safe but some parents are still unconvinced and are not having their child inoculated.

The take-up rate for MMR vaccinations in Brighton and Hove is about 72 per cent, one of the lowest in the South East. The figure for the rest of East Sussex is 79 per cent and in West Sussex it is higher at 88 per cent.

Health bosses say at least 95 per cent of a local population needs to be vaccinated to prevent an epidemic.

Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust says that while some people feel single vaccines might be safer than MMR, it means children will have to have six separate injections over a long period of time.

For more details about Sunday's clinic or future sessions, call 0870 4423993 or go to www.healthchoiceuk.co.uk