A number of politicians have suffered from deep vein thrombosis after travelling on "fact finding" trips across the globe, a report claims.

Labour MP Derek Wyatt said he developed the potentially life-threatening condition following a week-long trip to Malawi in southern Africa where he and his colleagues were looking at aid projects.

MPs do take a lot of long-haul flights John Smith DVT Awareness Group

According to The Mail on Sunday, Mr Wyatt is among at least eight politicians struck down with the so-called "economy class syndrome", which is caused when people remain seated for long periods.

Mr Wyatt, a former Barbarians and England rugby international, noticed the pain following the October trip and a 12-hour flight home, paid for by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

'Painful'

The Sittingbourne and Sheppey said: "I can only think I got it on the journey from Malawi, but I didn't realise I had it for six weeks, until eventually I went to my doctor saying my leg ached.

"He told me to go immediately to the hospital, saying it was DVT.

Wyatt: Suffered DVT after fact finding trip

"They gave me some drugs to treat it and it is now much better. But it certainly was painful.

"I have now agreed to help a group campaigning on the issue, but I don't want to talk about what we will be doing just yet."

The paper claimed that Mr Wyatt's visit, the group - some travelling with their wives - looked at the problems of food shortages and Aids in Malawi, went on a sight-seeing trip to a game reserve and stayed at a five star hotel.

John Scurr, a surgeon and leading expert on DVT, told the paper he had treated a number of parliamentarians for the illness, claiming they were particularly at risk because of their travelling lifestyle.

Immobility

More than �1m of public money was spent on sending MPs on fact-finding trips to places including Australia, New Zealand, America and Mauritius, the paper said.

Labour's John Smith, chairman of the all-party DVT Awareness Group, said even globe-trotting Prime Minister Tony Blair had written to him to say he was taking "precautions" for the condition.

"My experience is that most of the travelling MPs do is on legitimate business, but they do take a lot of long-haul flights," he told the MoS.

"Anyone who flies more than four-and-a-half hours in a pressurised cabin is at risk if they don't take precautions.

"Long periods of immobility are another risk factor and you could argue that MPs spend a lot of time sitting still in the Commons chamber or involved in other Commons business."