All clear for 'health scare' dairy

The dairy has now been given the all-clear after the scare

A dairy which was at the centre of a contamination scare has resumed production.

Supplies have been given the all-clear after a disgruntled farmer claimed he had provided tainted milk to the Westbury Dairy in Wiltshire.

Police said the supplier claimed he had contaminated supplies because he had lost a substantial amount of money when the dairy went briefly into receivership.

Tests have now been carried out on the milk and police and environmental officers have confirmed there is no evidence of contamination.

Financial costs

The company is also to release products processed since the contamination threat was made, after environmental health officers decided to lift quarantine restrictions.

A spokesman for Westbury Dairies said it had been a challenging period. The financial costs of the scare would not be clear for some time, he said.

The former United Milk plant, which employs some 100 workers, was bought by Westbury Dairies - a consortium of three milk co-operatives - earlier in November.

About 300 farmers are still said to be owed £30,000 each for milk they had supplied to the £45m plant.

Others could lose their share of the £12m they invested when the dairy was established in 2001.