Stomach bug forces shop closure

A butcher's shop in Bradford has closed down after four of its customers contracted severe gastroenteritis.

People who bought cooked meats from Spaul's Butchers at The Parade, Cottingley, have been advised to discard any they are storing.

Four out of five people who caught the bug are known to have bought meat from the shop in the last two weeks. Two more cases are being investigated.

Bradford and Airedale Primary Care Trust has alerted local GPs.

A spokeswoman said the owner of the shop had closed it down temporarily while the investigation takes place.

'Wash hands'

Dr Martin Schweiger, from the West Yorkshire unit of the Health Protection Agency, said: "As a precautionary measure we are advising anyone who is still storing cooked meat bought from Spaul's Butchers not to eat it or feed it to pets.

"It should be thrown away immediately with their domestic waste.

"People in Cottingley who experience severe diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain or cramps should contact their family doctor in the usual way."

Dr Schweiger said the spread of gastro-intestinal infections could be limited by thorough handwashing, especially when preparing food, after using the toilet and during and after contact with animals.

He added: "We are continuing to monitor all cases of gastroenteritis in the district and testing is in progress to confirm both the cause and the source of the cases reported to date."