Infection causes girl to lose half her body weight

A mother from Redditch has said her four-year-old daughter lost more than half her body weight after catching a parasitic infection known as Cryptosporidium.

For two weeks Michelle's daughter, Georgia, suffered from sickness and diarrhoea, which got so bad she was put back in nappies.

The illness started six days after the family went to Gannow Farm in Inkberrow over the Easter holidays, which later confirmed a Cryptosporidium outbreak.

A spokesperson for the attraction said its thoughts were "with the families and children who have been ill in this difficult time".

Michelle said: "She weighed 2st 7lb (15.9kg) and when I weighed her at the end of it she weighed 1st 1lb (6.4kg).

"She was the weight of a baby not a four-year-old. It was horrendous.

"I would try to get her to eat but every time she did it would just come straight up. It was horrible seeing her like that."

Michelle added that Georgia barely left the sofa for two weeks.

In a statement, Gannow Farm told the BBC that the attraction had temporarily closed and refunds had been issued to those with pre-purchased tickets.

Its spokesperson added: "We are currently working closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and our insurers, and are unable to comment any further until the investigation is concluded."

UKHSA has confirmed it is working with Worcestershire County Council, Worcestershire Regulatory Services and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Michelle is one of 83 people who have instructed lawyers to investigate the matter, says Irwin Mitchell.