Oxford's leading transplant surgeon says he is deeply disappointed by a decision not to change the organ donation laws.

Prof Peter Friend, clinical director for transplantation at the Oxford Transplant Centre, spoke out after the UK Organ Donation Taskforce refused to back plans to harvest more organs from the dead.

The Government asked the taskforce to investigate the case for an “opt-out” scheme, in which all organs could be used for transplants, unless the deceased’s relatives object.

Currently, people must sign up to the organ donor register — or their families must agree — before their organs can be used.

But this week the taskforce refused to back such a scheme, saying it was unlikely to boost donation rates. Prof Friend, who had backed an opt-out scheme, said the taskforce’s report had been thorough, but added: “I am very disappointed.

“I am with the chief medical officer on this issue. Although I don’t believe there is one single way of solving the organ shortage, I believe it would be extremely helpful to have a change in the law on consent.”

The UK has one of the lowest organ donation rates in Europe.

There are currently about 8,000 people in need of an organ transplant – 400 are on the waiting list for kidney and pancreas transplants in Oxfordshire.

But up to eight people a year still die in the county before a donor can be found.

Prof Friend said: “Patients are waiting for years for transplants and people are dying because they are on dialysis for so long.”

Elisabeth Buggins, of the UK Organ Donation Taskforce, said more than 400 pages of evidence had been gathered from across the world, but the taskforce had found little evidence that presumed consent would increase the number of organs available for transplant.

Oxford dialaysis patient Paul Bateman condemned the taskforce’s findings.

Mr Bateman suffers from kidney failure resulting from a road accident 39 years ago and, three nights a week, leaves work at the BMW factory at Cowley and spends four hours hooked up to a machine at the Churchill Hospital.

He said: “These people do not know what they are talking about and they clearly haven’t spoken to people who are waiting for transplants — people like those who spend hours and hours a week wired up to machines at the Churchill.

“These people, like me, say an opt-out system is the sensible solution to the organ shortage.

“Research shows that most people would like to sign up to the organ donor register, but that they never get around to it.

“If it was a case of people who really didn’t want to donate having to opt out, we wouldn’t be in the situation where so many are on dialysis or are dying before new organs become available.”

Instead of a change in the law, the Government will now plough £4.5m into publicising the need for more donors.

But Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned that if it did not work a law change could still follow.