MP for Welwyn and Hatfield Grant Shapps used figures obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.

North Bristol and Gloucestershire hospital trusts had the highest number of cases among the trusts which provided figures.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust said it had been misrepresented.

Shaun Ellion, the medical director for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust, added that the trust was continuing to work to get cases down to zero.

'Get to grips'

All the hospitals involved said they were tackling the problem with better hygiene controls and prescription advice.

The MP for Welwyn and Hatfield has not received figures from every health trust but has called on the government "to get to grips with the problem".

Mr Shapps said figures were only available for patients aged over 65.

"We now know that C-Diff infects eight times as many people as the far better-known MRSA and it actually kills twice as many patients.

"I'm calling on the government to recognise and then get to grips with the true scale of the problem," he said.

The Health Protection Agency said it could not comment on the figures as it had not yet seen the report.