Salmonella cases after Street Spice festival

AROUND 200 people who attended a spicy food street festival have reported suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting amid fears of a salmonella outbreak, a council spokesman said yesterday.

Early tests have shown four people proved positive for salmonella following the Street Spice festival in Newcastle’s Times Square last week.

Environmental health officers and the Health Protection Agency investigated after scores of people fell ill.

A spokesman said: “In the first batch of tests, four people have proved positive for salmonella. Further results will be available in due course.

“It is estimated that of the 12,000 people who attended the event, up to 200 have reported sickness.”

Dr Kirsty Foster, of the Health Protection Agency and chair of the outbreak control team, said: “Initial investigations have not yet identified a definite source of infection; however, we are working closely with the organisers of the event to determine the source of infection.”