Scottish E.coli alert

An E. coli precautionary alert was issued yesterday after tests revealed traces of the potentially lethal bacteria on meat destined for school meals.

Three councils - Dundee, Perth and Angus - ordered meat to be removed from schools, older people's lunch clubs, and from the meals-on-wheels service after environmental health experts in Carlisle found traces of the bug on raw meat that had been sent to school meals providers Tayside Contracts. Officials in Dundee said no cases of illness had been reported, and the "stringent" cooking procedures should ensure the bacteria had been killed by the cooking process.