Cotswold Farm Park bosses say it is safe amid sickness probe

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Bosses at a rare breeds farm being probed after six cases of a sickness bug have said it is "safe" to visit.

Cotswold Farm Park, run by Countryfile presenter Adam Henson, follows "best practice" with animal contact and hand washing procedures, a statement said.

It said there was "no scientific evidence" to confirm the cases were linked to the park.

Six people have been diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis, which can lead to sickness and diarrhoea.

A spokesman for Public Health England said five visitors and one employee were diagnosed with the bug and everyone affected was recovering well at home.

'Extra measures'

The Health and Safety Executive and environmental health officers have visited the park and given advice on precautionary measures, including extra cleaning and additional hand washing facilities.

Dr David Hunt, from Public Health England, said: "Most of the cases became unwell in April and appear to have visited the park in the Easter holidays.

"The park has co-operated fully with the investigation and has put in place a number of extra measures to reduce the risk to future visitors."

Cotswold Farm Park said in a statement: "Following a site visit with an HSE inspector and an environmental health officer it was agreed that Cotswold Farm Park follows best practice procedures in our animal contact areas and we have a proactive approach to educating and informing our staff and visitors of the importance of hand washing.

"We would like to reassure our visitors that we are fully compliant with the industry code of practice for avoiding ill health from farm visits and that there is no reason to avoid contact with animals as long as the correct hand washing procedures are followed."