From as early as autumn next year, girls as young as 12 could be vaccinated against cervical cancer, following a recommendation by an independent expert advisory committee yesterday.

Girls as young as 12 could be vaccinated against cervical cancer from as early as autumn next year, following a recommendation by an independent expert advisory committee yesterday.

The jabs would revolutionise the approach to beating cervical cancer, which kills more than 1000 women in the UK, including more than 100 in Scotland, each year.

The Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the Department of Health and the Scottish Executive, recommended the vaccine should be introduced routinely for girls aged about 12 to 13 years to protect against the sexually transmitted infection human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes about 70% of the cases of cervical cancer.

The Department of Health and the executive yesterday said they agreed "in principle" to accept the JCVI's advice, subject to an independent review of the costs to the NHS. The jabs will not be compulsory but will be offered to girls in all parts of the UK.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon yesterday said: "This is an exciting development that should have a major impact on cervical cancer for future generations. The Scottish government is committed to providing this vaccine to girls around 12 years of age and free of charge. It is our intention for funding for this to be included in our forthcoming spending review and we will aim to implement by autumn 2008."

The move was widely welcomed by medical experts and charities. The notable exception was the Catholic Church in Scotland which in the past has warned it could give the "green light" to under-age sex. Scotland already has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the developed world.

A spokesman for the Catholic Church said: "As a social policy the jab can only work when it's arm-in-arm with a huge public health programme, mirroring the size of the anti-smoking campaign, which promotes the safeguarding of sex within marriage.

"We must free our young to realise that a sex-partner is for life for this also protects life."

Two particular strains of HPV, known as types 16 and 18, spread mainly by sexual contact, are responsible for about 70% of all cervical cancers.

Dr Charles Saunders, chairman of the British Medical Association Scotland's public health committee, said: "The evidence suggests that introducing such a public health measure will save large numbers of women from developing potentially fatal cervical cancers and it would be remiss of us not to consider this approach." Commenting on the argument against vaccination, he added: "I have yet to hear of a patient who decides to delay sexual activity for fear of contracting cervical cancer in 20 years' time."

Pamela Morton, director of Jo's Trust, a cervical cancer charity, said she was delighted with the recommendation but added: "I am disappointed that the JCVI made no recommendation on a catch up' programme for the 14-year-olds and upwards."