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E-coli mum to launch legal fight

Tracy Mock and Mike Furnell with twins Todd and Aaron.
Tracy Mock and Mike Furnell with twins Todd and Aaron.

A Kent mum whose twins were left hospitalised by an E.coli outbreak at a petting farm is among the families preparing to launch a group legal action, she revealed today.

Godstone Farm, near Redhill, Surrey, shut on September 12 last year after visitors were diagnosed with the potentially fatal O157 strain of the bug.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) commissioned an independent investigation into its origins after 93 people fell ill.

A report into the outbreak, which is being led by George Griffin, Professor of infectious diseases and medicine at St George's, University of London, is due out tomorrow.

Tracy Mock, of Paddock Wood, whose two-year-old twins spent weeks in hospital fighting the bug following a visit to the farm, said: "The main reason for taking the legal action is that I feel it should be investigated; how it was handled.

"There could be a lot to learn, there are a lot of questions relating to it.

"If they had acted quickly enough we probably would not have gone to the farm."

Her son, Aaron Furnell, suffered acute kidney failure and has to be taken to the Evelina Children's hospital in London every six weeks for blood and urine tests.

He still uses a feeding-tube for ingesting liquids.

Godstone Farm, which has since reopened, was unavailable for comment last night.

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