A vaccine called Gardasil, which blocks infections that can lead to cervical cancer, has been developed to protect women against the main strains of the HPV virus - which causes most cases of cervical cancer, according to an announcement made by a team of British scientists.

Girls as young as 10 could be inoculated, and it could mean an end to smear tests for a new generation of women.

Professor Margaret Stanley of Cambridge University described the results as "exciting".

"We now have evidence that Gardasil is effective against the advanced-sta__ abnormalities of the cervix that lead to invasive cervical cancer," the Mirror quoted her as saying.

The announcement was made after successful trials in which the vaccine was 100 per cent effective at blocking the most common cause of the disease.

More than 12,000 women aged 16 to 23 women - including some from the UK - took part in the trials. Half were given three injections of Gardasil over six months and the others got a dummy drug.

They were then monitored for two years and none of the Gardasil patients went on to develop cancer, while 21 of the other group did.

The tests found the vaccine protects against the two main strains of the HPV virus which causes 70 per cent of all cervical cancer cases. It also guards against the type that causes genital warts.

An analyst has estimated Gardasil could be worth #600 million a year. Experts say it could also help save thousands of lives, as around 2,500 women are diagnosed with the disease each year and about 1,000 die.

"These results add to the mounting evidence that cervical cancer vaccines offer great promise for the future. By using HPV vaccines it appears we may soon be able to prevent the majority of cases," the paper quoted Dr Anne Szarewski, clinical consultant at Cancer Research UK, as saying.

Debbie Coats, a nurse at CancerBACUP, said the trials were "extremely promising". However, she also believes that girls must receive it before becoming sexually active for the best results.

"For the vaccine to be effective, girls must receive it pre- puberty, or before becoming sexually active as they are not likely to have been exposed to the virus before then. This raises issues for society in general about the ethics of a vaccination which might be seen as encouraging promiscuity," she added.

Gardasil is a joint venture by the Merck and Sanofi Pasteur drug firms, and is the second jab to be tested against cervical cancer.

The makers of Gadasil are applying for licences in Europe and the US and say it could be widely available by next year.