Pub Sunday lunch leaves 43 sick with food poisoning

Dozens of people have fallen ill with food poisoning after eating Sunday lunch at a village pub.

Forty-three customers who visited the Corner House Inn in Llangynwyd near Maesteg, Bridgend county, on 30 November have reported symptoms.

In a statement on Wednesday, Public Health Wales (PHW) said it had identified Clostridium perfringens, which causes stomach cramps and diarrhoea, as the cause of the incident.

Staff previously posted on social media that they had worked with environmental health inspectors and given the premises "a deep clean" since being alerted to the problem on 1 December, but they declined to comment further.

Siobhan Adams, PHW's consultant in health protection, said that, in conjunction with Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board and environmental health, it was "concluding its investigation into reports of illness following customers eating Sunday lunch at the Corner House Inn in Llangynwyd, Maesteg".

"We have received 43 reports of illness in people who ate food prepared at the premises and can confirm that Clostridium perfringens has been identified as the cause," she added.

"The risk to the public is low, and no additional cases are likely at this stage.

"We would like to thank the business for the constructive and proactive way they have engaged with our investigation."

On its Facebook page, the Corner House Inn said it was "devastated" about what happened and, after temporarily closing to deal with the issue, confirmed it had since returned to "normal opening hours".

According to the Food Standards Agency: "People who are most likely to suffer severe symptoms are young children, pregnant women, older people and those with underlying health conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and kidney disease."