E-coli cases source narrowed down

The Falside Road branch has been linked with all the cases

Experts probing an outbreak of E.coli in Paisley have narrowed the possible source to single supermarket branch.

NHS Greater Glasgow said all the cases now had a link to a branch of Morrisons on the town's Falside Road.

Earlier suggestions that the company's Lonend branch was connected with the outbreak, which claimed the life of a 66-year-old woman, have been ruled out.

Meanwhile, there has been no new confirmed cases of E.coli O157, with the number remaining at nine.

Investigators have been continuing attempts to identify the most likely cause of the outbreak linked with the Falside Road store.

Home recovery

Dr Syed Ahmed, who is chairing the team, said: "As part of initial investigations and interviews with those affected, the outbreak control team found evidence linking those involved to the purchase of cold cooked meat from the delicatessen counters of both the Lonend and Falside stores in Paisley.

"Further subsequent investigations have now ruled out the link with the Lonend store, leaving us to concentrate on a possible single source for this outbreak."

Dr Ahmed said Morrisons had been making "every effort" to support the investigation, adding that there was still no conclusive evidence.

NHS Greater Glasgow said a 72-year-old man was in a serious but stable condition in hospital and a 70-year-old Paisley woman was in a stable condition in a hospital in the Republic of Ireland, in connection with the outbreak.

The other six people have been recovering at home.