Mrs Kirkham's cheeses back on sale after E. coli alert

Four types of Mrs Kirkham's cheese were recalled on Christmas Eve

A cheese company that recalled four products during an E. Coli alert is to start selling the ranges again.

Mrs Kirkham's, based near Preston, withdrew the cheeses from shops on Christmas Eve.

It said it had tested cheeses that were due to go on sale from 5 February and found no trace of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said the recall had been narrowed to cheeses on sale before 5 February.

The cheeses affected by the recall are:

• Mrs Kirkham's Mild & Creamy Lancashire

• Mrs Kirkham's Tasty Lancashire

• Mrs Kirkham's Mature Lancashire

• Mrs Kirkham's Smoked Lancashire

Graham Kirkham, who runs the business, said: "The suspect pathogen is a member of a class of organisms for which no accredited commercial tests are currently available, and this is an issue not just for raw milk cheesemakers, but other food suppliers as well.

"With this in mind, and because food safety is of the utmost importance to our business, we are working with the technical experts at the Specialist Cheesemakers' Association on a review of all our milk production and food safety management systems, making sure that even the smallest risk is identified and dealt with."

The company said more than 40 samples of milk and cheese which had been produced over a five-month period had been tested and all were clear of the pathogen.

In January, the company said that only eight of the 31 people affected by the outbreak had eaten its cheeses, and that "seven of them had a mixed cheese and charcuterie plate served by a third party".

Mrs Kirkham's said it had carried out extensive tests and found no evidence of the bug

Tina Potter, head of incidents at the FSA, said: "In potential food safety issues like this, it's vital action is taken quickly by the business to protect consumers."

She added that because of "extensive efforts" by Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese Ltd and Preston City Council, the recall notice had been narrowed.

The FSA urged people to follow advice and recall notices if they had cheeses bought before Feb 5.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) said symptoms of the illness include severe, sometimes bloody diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and fever.

Amy Douglas, incident director for gastrointestinal infections at the UKSHA, added: "Washing your hands with soap and warm water and using bleach-based products to clean surfaces will help stop infections from spreading.

"Don't prepare food for others if you have symptoms, or for 48 hours after symptoms stop.

"If you are unwell, you should avoid visiting people in hospitals and care homes to avoid passing on the infection in these settings.

"Do not return to work or school, until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped."