Lives are being put at risk as a result of a failure to regulate body piercing and tattoo parlours, a former health minister has said.

The warning came as Gisela Stuart introduced a 10-minute rule bill aimed at increasing the protection from unsafe body piercing and tattoo procedures.

The MP called on the extension of regulations dating from 1991 to include more recent body piercing and tattoo procedures.

It follows the case of a Sheffield teenager who died after developing septicaemia from a lip piercing.

Under current regulations the establishment was not under a legal obligation to issue a health warning and his previous heart condition was not taken into account.

The Birmingham Edgbaston MP claimed that as many as 95 per cent of doctors in the Greater Manchester area had dealt with complications resulting from body piercings in the past year.

"It is quite surprising that the current legislation does not cover some of the more fashionable and more recently introduced body piercing and cosmetic procedures," she said.

"For example, ear piercing is covered, but other parts of the body are not covered.

"Similarly tattooing - it is the traditional form of tattooing which is covered, but semi-permanent forms are not."

The 1991 legislation should be extended to include all local authorities and all sorts of establishments, she said.

This would ensure they are registered and that "they observe the by-laws on cleanliness, which should contribute to public health, consumer protection and in extreme cases, could actually save life".