Demand for Legionnaires' disease probe after death of Ludlow hotel guest

Andy Boddington, who represents Ludlow North on Shropshire Councillor, has called for a 'root and branch' inquiry after the woman in her 60s died following a stay at The Feathers Hotel in the town.

The unnamed woman, from Merseyside, contracted Legionnaires' disease while staying at the hotel and died in July.

In April, a guest also contracted the waterborne disease but survived.

Councillor Boddington said: "We need a broad investigation. Legionella was identified in the hotel several months ago. Were the actions after that correct? I don’t know but it is my job to ask difficult questions.

"The Feathers Hotel in Ludlow is closed with immediate effect. This is after Public Health England confirmed that the hotel is responsible for at least two cases of Legionnaires' disease. Samples of water taken two days ago confirmed this.

"There are a lot of questions here.

"Are there people who have suffered, even died, because the disease was not identified? The hotel is frequented by elderly people, many of whom might have had respiratory diseases. Have all those affected been identified? Legionnaires' disease is not an everyday disease. How many GPs would recognise it?"

It was announced on Wednesday that the hotel, parts of which date back to 17th century, would temporarily close with immediate effect while urgent works are carried out to the plumbing and heating systems.

Councillor Boddington added: "What happens to the staff during what may be an extended closure? Jobs in this town are precious and I would like to see a guarantee that staff continue in post until the problems are solved.

"The Feathers has long been in need of modernisation. It a landmark that is as important to Ludlow as the Castle and Buttercross. Out of this tragic event, perhaps the building will get the improvements it has so long needed."

Managers at the hotel have expressed their condolences to the family of the woman who died.

Urgent scrutiny meeting ‘best way to learn lessons and restore confidence’

There are calls for an urgent scrutiny meeting to be held after an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease at The Feathers Hotel.

Tracey Huffer, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow East and a practising nurse, is now calling for Shropshire Council to hold an urgent scrutiny meeting to review the deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.

She said: “This is a very rare event. The hotel has responded by closing for the time being. But we need to ensure that lessons are learnt and there is no repeat anywhere else in Shropshire.

“To the best of my knowledge, this is the first outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the county. I desperately hope that no one else that stayed at the Feathers has been affected by this nasty pathogen.

“We need to understand why this occurred. We need to know that the right actions were taken after the presence of Legionella was discovered months ago in the hotel.

“The best way to deal with this is to call an immediate meeting of Shropshire Council’s Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee. We can then set out a work plan to ensure that we learn everything we need to learn about this tragic incident.

“We can’t deal with this behind closed doors. Shropshire Council should take the lead and build up public confidence that this is a one off event. To do any less would damage our county’s reputation as one of the best tourist destinations in the country.”