MPs have hit out at the lack of allergy services offered by the NHS.

In a report released on Tuesday the Commons health committee claimed that millions of sufferers are being let down.

The MPs said that "ignorant" GPs fail to diagnose the condition and are often unaware of treatment options.

Committee chairman David Hinchliffe said: "We discovered that, despite the escalating scale of the problem, specialist allergy treatment was very difficult to access.

"Most GPs have little or no training in allergy and often fail to diagnose allergy properly or refer it to an appropriate specialist."

Primary care trusts (PCTs) were also singled out for criticism, with the report claiming that most do not even recognise the epidemic of allergies afflicting 30 per cent of adults and 40 per cent of children.

"No service; no data; therefore no problem seems to be their reaction," Hinchliffe said.

And the government was attacked by the cross-party committee for failing to produce a strategy to deal with the problem.

However health minister Stephen Ladyman defended his department's work in the area.

"The substantial extra investment in the NHS will help deliver service improvements across the board, including allergy services, and it is the responsibility of local PCTs to ensure they are commissioning services sufficient to meet local need," he said.