Scare ... cucumbers
THE killer cucumber bug which has led to the deaths of 17 people in Europe has reached Britain.
Three Brits in the UK have been infected with "an entirely new super-toxic" strain of E.coli linked to the German outbreak.Chinese and German scientists have been working round the clock to identify the strain, which has struck people in 10 countries.
The Beijing Genomics Institute has revealed it contains several genes that are resistant to antibiotics.
The Britons' infections bring the total number of cases in the UK to seven. Four cases are among German nationals.
They all developed the potentially deadly complication of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS).
The victims either went to A&E, NHS walk-in centres or had been to their GP, the HPA said.
The cases are all linked to 'travel in Germany' where 16 people have died while one person was killed in Sweden.
Germany has had more than 1,500 infections so far with cases reported in nine countries including the UK.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the killer strain responsible for the European outbreak has never been detected before.
And Russia has now announced that it is banning the import of all fresh vegetables from the European Union.
Killer ... E.coli bacteria
Getty Images The latest shocking developments come just days after Brits were urged not to panic as thousands avoided buying salad. The bug has been found on imported veg across Europe - but the exact source of the contamination has not yet been determined, according to the HPA and WHO.
Health chiefs who blamed Spanish cucumbers for causing the outbreak may be sued after tests in Hamburg, Germany, proved they were not responsible.
Spain said it "did not rule out taking action".
A Food Standards Agency spokesman said: "There is no evidence that any affected cucumbers have been distributed to the UK."
Health experts advised washing salad to avoid the bug, which causes kidney failure.
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