REPORTED cases of the potentially lethal food bug E-Coli have soared in Blackburn and Darwen after a local pensioner contracted the bug and died.

There were a record number of cases reported in September, the month after the death, but health experts at the town hall claim there is nothing to fear and the cases are sporadic rather than an outbreak.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has been keeping a close eye on the situation following the outbreak in Scotland which claimed more than a dozen lives.

According to experts, the number of E-Coli cases traditionally rises in August and September.

The environmental health department dealt with eight cases in September compared to none the year before.

A team of specialists has been working round the clock to find the source of the bug but has failed to come up with any conclusions. Environmental heath manager Thani Nathan said: "This is not an outbreak and we are confident these cases are sporadic and not connected.

"Medical experts say there is a rise in cases in the autumn months but have yet to come up with a reason for the increase."

Mr Nathan added: "We have been taken samples of food and have been making various tests with the hope of finding a source.

"A team of six officers has spent a lot of time concentrating on the problem but we are confident this is not an outbreak."

Tests have revealed E-Coli has been found in dairy products, lamb and vegetables contaminated by farm slurry.

The eight cases in Blackburn and Darwen during September ranged from an eight moth old baby to a 43-year-old man.

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