'Two CJD victims in same street'

Both deaths occurred in Armthorpe

An investigation has been launched into the possibility that two young people from the same street may have died from variant CJD.

Matthew Parker, 19, of Armthorpe, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, died from the human form of "mad cow" disease three years ago.

Now tests have begun to determine whether neighbour Sarah Roberts, 28, who died last month, was also a victim of the disease.

This is something the experts must look at

Rosie Winterton, Doncaster Central MP

Mr Parker's father, John Middleton, said: "This does not look like a coincidence. There has to be a connection somewhere."

Mr Parker lived at 21, Wickett Hern Road, Armthorpe. Miss Roberts, an accountant, lived at 43.

Experts called in

Experts from the CJD surveillance unit in Edinburgh have travelled to Doncaster to explore links between the two victims, who attended the same school.

Doncaster Central MP Rosie Winterton said tests must be carried out to determine whether there was a cluster of the disease.

She said: "I do not know whether there is a cluster, but we have another tragic death of another young person from this horrifying disease and this is something the experts must look at."

Dr John Radford, of Doncaster Health Authority, said an investigation was underway.

"They may have used the same butcher - they lived in the same street - but to blame particular food outlets is wrong at this time.

"We need to understand the disease and understand the food histories of these people as much as we can."

A spokesman for Trent Region of the National Health Service confirmed the cause of Mr Parker's death as variant CJD, but said investigations into the second case were continuing.

Latest victim

A 28-year-old labourer from Easter Ross in the Scottish highlands has been confirmed as another victim of vCJD.

David Antonio died in September at his mother's home in Alness after a nine month illness.

His sister Brenda Steel criticised the lack of government support for victims of the illness and said people should have been told there was a possibility they could die from eating meat.

She called for a support group to be set up for families trying to cope with the disease, which she described as "like being tortured".

BSE threat

One of the UK's large high-street food retailers is calling for a legally-binding Europe-wide ban on the feeding of animal waste to farm animals.

The Co-op chain of supermarkets says it wants an end to a practice it says is tantamount to cannibalism - especially since the BSE crisis can largely be blamed on animal waste being fed back to farm animals.

The co-op is pressing the Food Standards Agency to support its demand when the Agency meets on Thursday to discuss a new report reviewing BSE controls.

BSE safety measures mean cattle cannot be fed on mammalian meat and bonemeal.

But there is no such ban on the use of animal by-products such as blood, tallow, poultry offal and feather meal.