​The doctor from Bath at the centre of a long-running row over the MMR vaccine has been struck off the medical register.

Andrew Wakefield was found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council (GMC) at a hearing in central London.

The former King Edward’s School pupil acted in a way that was "dishonest", "misleading" and "irresponsible" while carrying out research into a possible link between the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, bowel disease and autism, the GMC said.

Furthermore, he "abused his position of trust" and "brought the medical profession into disrepute" in studies he carried out on children.

The GMC said there had been "multiple separate instances of serious professional misconduct".

A GMC panel ruled in January that the doctor "abused his position of trust" as he researched a possible link between the MMR vaccine, bowel disease and autism. He showed a "callous disregard" for the suffering of children and subjected some youngsters to unnecessary tests, the council said.

The panel decided that his actions could amount to serious professional misconduct, and that verdict was confirmed today.

Dr Wakefield has described the allegations as "both unfounded and unjust".

The controversy arose when he published research suggesting a possible link between the MMR vaccine, bowel disease and autism. The study, which appeared in The Lancet medical journal in 1998, sparked a massive drop in the number of children given the triple jab for measles, mumps and rubella.

The GMC panel ruled Dr Wakefield - whose parents still live in Bath - went against the interests of children in his care in conducting the research.

The GMC said he ordered some youngsters to undergo unnecessary colonoscopies, lumbar punctures (spinal taps), barium meals, blood and urine tests and brain scans. Yet none of the children met the criteria for inclusion in the research and none of the doctors had ethical approval to investigate them.

The GMC heard Dr Wakefield took blood from his son's friends at the birthday party, paying the youngsters £5 each, before joking about it during a US presentation in March 1999. He also submitted an application for funding from the Legal Aid Board but failed to disclose that some of the costs would have been met by the NHS anyway.

The panel said Dr Wakefield's actions in relation to the money were "dishonest" but said he did not use it for his personal gain. Dr Wakefield was an honorary consultant in experimental gastroenterology at London's Royal Free Hospital at the time of his research, and the GMC hearing, which has heard from 36 witnesses, has reportedly cost in excess of £1 million.