THE heartbroken mum of tragic Accrington schoolgirl Olivia Diamond, who died four days after catching the flu, has called for compulsory vaccinations.

The 12-year-old died from myocarditis, a heart condition often brought on by a virus, earlier this month — just days before her school began vaccinating some of its students as part of a Lancashire-wide pilot scheme.

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Now healthcare assistant mum Angela, 35, said the life-saving vaccine should be routinely given to all children, like the tuberculosis (TB) jab.

She said: “How many more children need to die before they offer the vaccine to everybody? It’s sad that it has to come to this before people take notice.

“Not one person has died from having a flu vaccination, but not having it is taking people’s lives. If Olivia was invited for a vaccination, she would still be here with me now.

“I’m going to get Hyndburn MP Graham Jones onto it, and I want to make the vaccinations compulsory.”

And Angela, who lives in Moss Hall Road with her partner, Screwfix supervisor Marty, 25, and Asif, 16, Aleesha, four, Sophie, three,  =and Callie, two, has warned parents not to take flu-type symptoms lightly. 

She said: “If my husband got a cold he had ‘man flu’, and you laugh and joke. Olivia had colds before and I said she needed to sweat it out. 

“Anytime the children get a cold now I will be so worried. Never in a million years did I think Olivia’s death would be an outcome of flu.” 

Olivia’s school friends at Accrington Academy began receiving their vaccinations, in the form of a nasal spray, on Monday, the same day as her funeral. 

Angela added: “The vaccination should be given at the end of the summer holidays. It should be done a lot sooner. 

“Olivia got ill on October 4, before the flu season, so they need to research when they are going to give it. ”