Recurring miscarriages may be caused by an underlying infection, scientists believe, as they launched a major trial to find if the problem can be cured with a simple course of antibiotics.

Around 14,000 couples each year in England and Wales experience two or more consecutive miscarriages, yet the reason has proved elusive.

Now researchers at the University of Warwick and University Hospital Coventry have discovered that the womb lining of women who continually miscarry is inflamed, a condition called endometritis.

Several countries, including Germany and the US, already recommend antibiotics for endometritis, which can cause bleeding and pain, but no trial has proven that it is an effective treatment for miscarriage.

Now, British scientists have been given £1.9 million from the Medical Research Council and National Institutes of Health, the health arm of the NHS, to find out if the medication could work.