An unborn child may be able to feel pain as early as 20 weeks into pregnancy, the head of a government appointed expert group said yesterday.

The findings of Professor Eve Johnson, chair of the Medical Research Council's expert group, suggest that pain relief should be considered for the 2500 extremely premature babies born each year who may be subjected to painful procedures.

Professor Johnstone also advocates further research on ways to prevent the unnecessary suffering of extremely premature children.