Relatives of people who died in North East hospitals are demanding to know why their organs were removed and kept without the family's permission.

The government's Retained Organs Commission visited Newcastle on Thursday, to speak to those affected by organ retention.

About 500 families from across the North East discovered loved ones had their organs taken out and kept by hospitals, following a similar scandal at the Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool.

Some families say they are unhappy with how they were treated once they found out their relatives' organs had been kept.

If they have held this secret from us for 10 years, what other secrets are they hiding from us

Deborah Barthroom, parent

The commission was set up last year to answer questions about organ retention in UK hospitals, on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer following the Alder Hey inquiry.

The Chief Executive of the Retained Organ Committee, Steve Catling, told BBC Radio Newcastle not everyone was treated as well as they should have been.

He said: "Trusts have dealt with over 30,000 cases across the NHS in England over the past year-and-a-half, by and large, those cases have gone well.

"There are some exceptions and clearly there are some exceptions in Newcastle.

"It is worth bearing in mind that there have been something in the region of 1,500 inquiries made to hospitals in the north east, including, but not exclusively, Newcastle."

Full apology

Deborah Barthroom, from Wrekenton, in Gateshead, found her stillborn son's lungs - and other organs - had been kept by Newcastle General Hospital.

She said the Retained Organ Commission should apologise to parents like her.

"I still don't think I would be totally satisfied with that because, in my opinion, they shouldn't have done it in the first place, but at least they would have been honest.

"If they have held this secret from us for 10 years, what other secrets are they hiding from us."

The Retained Organs Commission has been travelling the country to meet directors and staff of Trusts and other NHS or University interested parties as well as relatives.