Boss of cheese company linked to tragic E.coli outbreak says he's devastated - and fears it's caused by 'new strain'

The distraught boss of a cheese company linked to a tragic E.coli outbreak fears a new variant of the disease could be to blame.

One person has died and at least 30 people have fallen ill following the discovery of the lethal bacteria. Graham Kirkham, who runs Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese near Preston, has suggested a new variant of the disease is responsible - which most people are unaware of, LancsLive reports.

He confirmed that eight people who fell ill had eaten cheese from his farm, but he feels his company has unfairly shouldered most of the blame.

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Speaking to MailOnline, he said: "We feel we have been hung out to dry a bit... we are devastated but we don't think we are linked to any kids being ill.

"We are part of a bigger investigation and we need to know we are clear and we have stopped any more cheeses going out. We have the first set of results back and we are negative so that's good."

He added initial tests have come back negative. Further testing on the farm is needed, which has been slowed down due to the time of year.

Yesterday (December 29). it was revealed one person has died and another 11 are in hospital. The UK Health Security Agency confirmed there are 'at least 30 confirmed cases of this specific outbreak strain' at the moment.

Those who fell ill are known to have contracted Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC). An investigation is underway to find the link between the cases.

The UKHSA confirmed in a statement that the person who died was from Scotland. The statement read: "One death has been associated with