A FARMING attraction ordered to pay £120,000 after an E.coli outbreak now faces a civil claim from families whose children were left seriously ill.

London-based personal injury solicitor Jill Greenfield is putting together the case on behalf of families whose children were hospitalised with the potentially deadly illness.

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Huntley’s Country Stores in Samlesbury pleaded guilty on Monday to three breaches to health and safety rules after many people were suspected of contracting E.coli during a three-week ‘Lambing Live’ event at Easter 2014.

Twenty-two children became ill with 15 confirmed cases of E-coli.

The firm was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £60,000 costs.

One mother, Clitheroe’s Juliette Martin, who attended the lamb-feeding event said it had ‘left a permanent scar on the entire family which we will never forget’.

Ms Greenfield won more than £1 million when she represented ten children affected by an E.coli outbreak at a petting farm in Surrey in 2009.

She is particularly concerned about the possible complications to the victims kidney function in later life but said she could not put a figure on the likely total claim against the firm.

Ms Greenfield, a partner at Fieldfisher solicitors, said she was acting for four families.

She said the government had failed to bring in health recommendations by an inquiry into a similar incident at Godstone Farm in 2009.

Ms Greenfield said: “If they had been, the tragedy of Huntley’s may never have happened.”

Huntley’s Country Stores Ltd said in a statement: “Everyone at Huntley’s deeply regrets that its lambing event in 2014 resulted in the serious ill health of children and an employee.

“At the time following reports of the outbreak, the company co-operated with South Ribble Council and has accepted responsibility in court for failings in the assessment of risks.

“Huntley’s insurers are doing everything they can to work with the claimants solicitors .”