Sutton Council has written to parents urging them to ensure their children have been vaccinated following a “serious" measles outbreak in London.

The capital has seen more than 60 cases of measles in the past two months, more than six times as many as would normally be reported in the same period.

Many children, teenagers and young adults in Sutton are not fully immunised against the highly contagious disease, according to the council.

The borough's director of public health last week wrote to families urging them to ensure they have they have received up-to-date vaccinations, such as the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab.

Dr Nicola Lang said: “London is experiencing a serious measles outbreak. Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can be very unpleasant and sometimes lead to serious complications. 

“Many children, young people and young adults in Sutton are not fully immunised and are at risk of catching measles, which can spread quickly. 

"Giving children, young people and young adults two doses of MMR [measles, mumps and rubella] will protect them from measles. If you are unsure how many MMR jabs your child has had, please contact your GP surgery."

London would usually see fewer than 10 cases of measles in a two-month period.

Forty-eight of the dozens of reported cases were in people aged over 15, according to Public Health England.

Measles is usually a mild illness in children but can be more severe in adults, although it is now less common in the UK because of the MMR vaccination programme.

Vaccine uptake rates in England are among the highest in Europe but still fall short of the World Health Organisation’s 95 per cent target for MMR vaccination in two-year-old children.

The current rate in London is just over 87 per cent.