A council nursery has been closed after an outbreak of E coli struck 10 people, including five pre-schoolers.

Several of the victims have been hospitalised and suffered kidney damage as a result of the infection, a rare strain which Public Health England says has no obvious source.

PHE has confirmed it is investigating a “number of cases” of E coli across the county and said that 10 people had been diagnosed since July.

All of these 10 are either Dorset residents or have visited the county and seven of them have developed kidney problems – a serious complication of an E coli infection.

Two children from Bournemouth were in hospital for several months after catching the bug. 

Three other children affected all attend the Blandford Children’s Centre, run by Dorset County Council.

This afternoon the council said it had taken the decision to voluntarily close the nursery due to the ongoing investigations. 

Vanessa Glenn, head of family support at Dorset County Council, said: “A child attending Blandford Children’s Centre nursery, in Black Lane, was diagnosed with E coli in mid-October. In line with advice from local environmental health officers, we closed the nursery for three days while deep cleaning work was carried out.

“Shortly after this, there was a second case involving a child from Blandford who had also attended the Shaftesbury Children’s Centre activity room. Again, following environmental health advice, this room was deep cleaned. We also ordered a deep clean of the nursery at Shaftesbury Children’s Centre, as a precaution.

“On Monday, a third case of E coli (VTEC 055) was identified involving a child who attends the Blandford Children’s Centre nursery. While there is no indication of a direct link between the nursery and recent cases, we are working closely with Public Health England and local authority environmental health officers to help tackle the problem. We are co-ordinating the collection of stool samples from all children who attend the nursery, as well as staff. Our staff have also undergone blood tests.

“We have decided voluntarily to close the Blandford nursery until we know the results of these tests. The safety and welfare of our children is of paramount importance. Parents have been kept fully informed throughout this process, and are being advised of the closure.”

But other cases are not linked to this premises and as yet, PHE has not yet been able to identify any single source. 

Two of the first to be taken ill back in the summer were Jessica Archer, 25, and her three-year-old nephew Isaac. Both have spent months in hospital and Isaac has only just come home. Jessica's partner was also ill but diagnosed with Campylobacter.

Jessica said: "We went out for a family meal at a restaurant. Isaac fell ill the following day and I fell ill four weeks later. We were both diagnosed with HUS. (Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which is a severe, life-threatening complication that occurs in about 10% of those infected with E coli.)

"I spent some time in RBH and was then transferred to a London hospital for three weeks. Isaac spent three months in paediatric intensive care in Southampton General Hospital.

"It's been an absolutely horrendous experience. Members of our family told us that we both might die.

"We are really angry that PHE didn't warn people months ago because we were only told last week that there were a further seven cases. We think the public should have been infomed."

She said PHE had closed their case because they couldn't trace the source. The restaurant concerned, which is not being named by the Echo, was given a clean bill of health.

But she added that when Isaac was in Southampton they met another boy, aged about 2 and from Bournemouth, who had also been diagnosed with HUS. He too had visited the same restaurant a week after them.    

There is a huge outbreak of E coli nationally but the Dorset outbreak is a much rarer strain. PHE has sent letters to hospital doctors and local GPs, asking them to report any further potential cases.

The Dorset outbreak was only confirmed by Public Health England in response to enquiries made by the Bournemouth Echo. When asked why they hadn't been more proactive in highlighting the risks, Public Health England said they were constantly raising awareness of E coli. 

Noeleen McFarland, consultant in health protection at PHE Wessex, said: “We are working closely with colleagues in the North Dorset Environmental Health Department to identify possible sources of infection. It is an infection that can be passed easily from person to person and young children are particularly easily affected.

“Any infection with E coli can be very serious. We have interviewed all of those affected or their parents and their close contacts to look for possible causes in the days before they became ill. This information is being used in the ongoing investigation into these cases.

“We want to stress the importance of good hand hygiene. Wash hands thoroughly using soap and water after using the toilet, before and after handling food and after contact with animals including farm animals. Small children should be supervised in washing their hands. Remove any loose soil before storing vegetables and thoroughly wash all vegetables and fruit that will be eaten raw.”