MUSEUMS in Merseyside and Cheshire may be forced to return their prized collections of ancient mummies to Egypt. A legal loophole in a government Bill, drawn up to prevent hospitals stockpiling human organs, could be used by the Egyptian government to claim back the preserved bodies. However, a senior British government official said it hoped common sense would prevail. Liverpool Museum has a collection of 18 mummified exhibits although these are not all on display. Warrington Museum and Art Gallery has the mummy of a 14-year-old boy among its exhibitions. Martin Gaw, l ibrary, museum and archive services manager, said: "We have one mummy at Warrington Museum which has been in our collection since the 19th century and has been invaluable in the education of genera-tions of local people. "However, we do recognise that this is a very sensitive issue and will of course follow the advice of the appropriate authorities." Liverpool's exhibits include the mummified hand of a young Egyptian woman, possibly a priestess, wearing four rings. It was removed from her mummy and brought to England in the 19th century. During the preserving process, it had been covered with resin and mostly likely with gold leaf. Also among the collection are the mummies of a sailor and a boy thought to be two-years-old. The man, called Peduamun, was also brought to this country in the 19th century where it was unwrapped. Unfortunately, nobody has been able to rewrap it again properly. The boy's mummy dates from the Roman era. X-rays have revealed two amulets, which may be made of gold, placed on the body, one in the mouth and the other in the pelvic area. National Museums Liverpool declined to comment on whether the organisation had any concerns about the loophole. Under the Bill, rogue doctors who keep body parts without the consent of relatives will be jailed. Health Secretary John Reid said that the long-awaited Human Tissue Bill will impose prison sentences on hospital doctors who illegally store organs after death. The crackdown follows the revelation that hundreds of dead children were stripped of their organs at Alder Hey Children's Hospital over several decades. The Department of Health has pledged that the Bill will outlaw the "removal, storage and use" of human tissue without proper consent. Trafficking in human bodies or body parts and using human tissue for DNA testing without consent will also be made specific offences. The Human Tissue Bill is being brought forward to replace the Human Tissue Act of 1961. | 
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