One in five UK sperm donors is from overseas

Britain's sperm donor shortage is so acute that one in five donors is from overseas, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.

Documents show that the Government's decision to remove anonymity from sperm donors has led to a sharp drop in the number of men willing to donate.

This has led to the "bulk" import of sperm coming from overseas, primarily the US and Denmark.

Some counties, such as Lancashire and Northumberland, now have no sperm donors at all, while Cornwall and Shropshire each rely on one active donor to provide semen for women with fertility problems.

Many fertility clinics have had to close their insemination services altogether, forcing women to turn to the internet to find donors.

The Liberal Democrat MP and former doctor Evan Harris said that ending anonymity was a "disaster" and meant many women would be unable to have children.