FURTHER tests are to be carried out for the potential killer bacteria of Legionnaire's disease at the changing rooms of a Worcester playing field in a bid to give it the all-clear.

Legionella bacterium was found in the shower room of the King George V Playing Fields, in Brickfields, earlier this month, following routine tests of the facilities, which are used by scores of weekend league football teams.

Worcester City Council, which owns the premises, has now spent thousands of pounds replacing the changing room's water system and hopes tests for Legionella bacterium tomorrow will come back negative.

Bob Blandford, spokesman for the council, said: "It takes five days to get the results back but we are pretty confident that they will give the all-clear.

"As a safety measure, however, the changing rooms will not re-open until the weekend of Saturday, November 29, test results permitting.

"The changing rooms are only used at weekends anyway, so this should not cause too much disruption and alternative pitches will be found for football teams for this weekend coming."

Re-opened

He said Dines Green Community Centre, where Legionella bacterium was found in its kitchen sink, re-opened on Monday.

The water system at the centre, used by dozens of community groups, has also been given a major overhaul to eradicate the potential killer bug.

Mr Blandford stressed that the discovery of the bacterium at the two Worcester sites had no link with the outbreak of Legionnaire's disease that has struck in Hereford.

Meanwhile, two of the patients suffering from the disease have now recovered and have been discharged from Hereford County Hospital.

The patients were both women in their 40s, one of whom was diagnosed on Tuesday, November 11, and the other last Wednesday.

No new cases of the disease have been diagnosed in Hereford either yesterday or overnight - and the total number of people affected by the illness remains at 23.

So far, one pensioner, a man in his 70s, has died from the disease, a total of five people have recovered from the illness and 17 remain in hospital, described as being in a "stable" condition.