Dr Magdi Hanafy, 58, and his optometrist wife Sue, 45, are also vowing to keep their 17-year-old daughter Laura away from school for the incubation period of 21 days if her classmates go.

Father-of-two Dr Hanafy, who has alerted the Department of Health and the Department for Education to his concerns, said: "There is no necessity or vital need for the trip. In normal circumstances, yes, the Gambia is a good experience for them, but in abnormal circumstances why would you take the risk?

"The whole of West Africa is very dangerous and for the school to feel they are safe is nave. Even if they are safe, they will be able to transmit diseases which could affect the community on their return. This is not only about my daughter it's about what will happen when they come back. They need to see sense."

Dr Hanafy, based at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, has been a consultant surgeon for almost 20 years. He is a member of Hernia International, which annually travels to deliver self-funded humanitarian hernia surgery in poverty-stricken African nations.

He and a team made up of English, Canadian and German medical professionals were due to travel to Ghana this month to perform free surgery on patients suffering with hernias in the country, but cancelled the trip over Ebola fears.

The school field trip, which costs pupils 700 each, is the ninth biennial trip to The Gambian High School, which last year featured the opening of new school buildings, new wells and a village soap-making business.

Dr Hanafy met teachers to discuss the epidemic, but staff said it had received guidance from Public Health England saying travel to the Gambia was safe.

Sarah Cookhill, whose daughter goes to nearby Manchester High School, is worried for the community as fee-paying Withington Girls' School is also due to go on the trip.

She said: "Manchester High School get on the same bus as Withington Girls', so everybody is concerned," she said. "There's just no sense for the school trip to carry on with the risk involved. If it is going ahead surely the children should be kept away for 21 days afterwards.

"For the sake of a school trip it seems an absolute farce. Either people are downright stupid or they're happy gambling with safety."

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Ebola fears over top independent school's field trip