A HEALTH officer today reassured the public that the Ribble Valley is a safe place to dine despite a major E.coli scare and a run of prosecutions for contravention of food safety laws.

But he warned that eating establishments which continued to flout environmental health standards could find themselves in court.

Ribble Valley Council has prosecuted four establishments this year for contravening the standards.

A teenager from Padiham also spent a week in the intensive care unit of Burnley General Hospital with E.coli poisoning which it is believed she contracted from a Ribble Valley food outlet which is being considered for future prosecution.

Ribble Valley environmental health officer Eamonn Roberts said it was unusual for so many prosecutions to take place at once.

Compared to other areas, he said, the Ribble Valley had excellent hygiene standards and people had nothing to fear.

The Spar shop, Whalley, was fined for selling food past its use-by date and a successful prosecution was brought against a dairy in Newsholme after mouse droppings were found in a storeroom. Clarkson's Dairy, Langho, was fined £1,250 by Blackburn magistrates for failing to produce milk to a legal standard and the Old Stone House, Mitton, was fined £7,000 for food safety contraventions.

Mr Roberts said the Old Stone House had now fully complied with the law and food hygiene standards in Ribble Valley were "absolutely fantastic" compared to other areas. He said: "We inspected 425 premises last year, out of which only a few had minor faults.

"We tend to settle things informally and a prosecution only takes place when other avenues such as issuing improvement notices fails.

"We have the power to serve emergency prohibition notices and didn't have cause to issue one last year.

"Compared to other areas that's very good and it is several years since we prosecuted anyone.

Four prosecutions in one year is highly unusual.

"Prosecution is the last resort. If people don't comply with formal cautions, then we are forced into a corner.

"We would lose credibility as an authority if we didn't prosecute and such cases send a warning to other establishments.

"Ribble Valley Council has a 100 per cent inspection rate and our officers are proud of their achievements, but this is a safe area to dine.

"We don't have a problem with dirty or dangerous premises and people need not be alarmed."

It could be some time before Ribble Valley Council decides whether to press charges against the premises at the centre of the E.coli alert.

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