Meat firm linked to E.coli closes

John Tudor and Sons of Bridgend lost contracts to supply schools

A meat supplier at the centre of an inquiry into an outbreak of E.coli in south Wales has closed down.

Between September and December last year, 158 people in south Wales were infected with the bacterium, and a five-year-old boy died.

John Tudor and Sons of Bridgend, which supplied schools and old people's homes in south Wales was prohibited from trading early in the outbreak.

It was later allowed to resume trading, but has now closed permanently.

First cases

A spokesman for the firm said it had been a "difficult decision" to cease trading after 50 years and that all the company's staff had been made redundant.

The first cases of E.coli 0157 struck on 10 September last year, affecting 158 people - mostly children - across the south Wales valleys.

The results of ongoing inquiries will come too late to prevent his business from shutting down John Tudor and Sons of Bridgend spokesman

The outbreak was initially reported in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil, later spreading to Bridgend and Caerphilly and affecting children at 42 schools.

On 4 October, five-year-old Mason Jones, from Deri, near Bargoed, died at Bristol Children's Hospital from E.coli poisoning - the only fatality during the outbreak.

A Welsh Assembly Government inquiry, chaired by food expert Prof Hugh Pennington, has begun into the outbreak, while a separate police inquiry is continuing into the circumstances of Mason's death.

Early in the outbreak, the Bridgend company, which had contracts to supply schools and old people's homes in four local authorities in south Wales, was closed after Bridgend Council issued an emergency prohibition order.

Five-year-old Mason Jones died from E.coli poisoning

The order was lifted in November and the firm has been allowed to trade since December after a fresh inspection. But it emerged the firm had lost its contracts to supply schools and old people's homes.

It is believed to have ceased trading in January.

A spokesman for John Tudor and Son said in a statement on Friday: "I can confirm that earlier this year, Will Tudor of John Tudor and Sons took the difficult decision to close his family business, which had been trading for nearly 50 years.

"The south Wales E.coli outbreak devastated the community, not least Mason's family.

"It also led to the closure of Will Tudor's business and sadly the redundancy of all his staff. The source of the outbreak has yet to be identified.

"Clearly, the results of ongoing inquiries will come too late to prevent his business from shutting down.

"However, Mr Tudor keenly awaits Prof Pennington's conclusions which he hopes will help ensure that such a distressing affair is prevented from recurring in south Wales."