(Chief) Executive Michelle Thew said: "This report is a chilling insight into (primate) research in the UK. Regulations to protect (primates) are failing.

"It is shocking that 25 years after (legislation) was introduced to give primates special (protection), many (experiments) are being carried out that have a devastating (impact) on them with little or no human benefit. The only (measure) that would completely protect primates, and ensure more productive (medical) research, is an (outright) ban."

In general, the number of animal (experiments) carried out in the UK rose by 3% last year, according to government figures.

Just over 3.7 million scientific experiments on animals were started in Great Britain in 2010, an increase of 105,000 on the (previous) year.