A FOOD poisoning victim from the Padiham area is now back home after spending two and a half weeks in hospital, part of the time in intensive care.

The 21-year-old woman's parents kept a bedside vigil as she was being treated for E. Coli 0157.

Her father said: "She just got back home yesterday. She went through a tough time and is still very weak. She has lost a lot of weight having hardly eaten a thing in over two weeks."

Blood samples were taken before she left hospital yesterday and she has been asked to provide further samples in a month to see if she has built up any antibodies from E. Coli.

A food outlet in the Ribble Valley is at the centre of investigations into the latest E.coli outbreak to afflict East Lancashire. Six people have been struck down by the potentially deadly food poisoning bug and public health experts are linking three of the cases.

Health officials would only confirm the probe was concentrating on a food outlet, which had now voluntarily stopped serving food, in East Lancashire.

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph understands the premises are in the Ribble Valley.

All the E.coli victims have been struck down in the past 15 days. Laboratory tests have confirmed the E.coli diagnosis in five of the six cases, with three of them having exactly the same strain of the infection.

Public health experts are waiting for confirmation of the other case.

Two other victims are from the Ribble Valley and the others are from Blackburn, Pendle and Rossendale.

A spokeswoman for East Lancashire Health Authority said: "Three of the six people have the same type of E.coli. One possible lead which is being investigated is an East Lancashire food outlet.

"The premises have voluntarily stopped serving food although it is still open. The investigations are continuing."

Public health officials, who were alarmed by the outbreak, are normally notified of about 50 E.coli cases a year.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.