The kidney problems some of those affected have experienced - called haemolytic uraemic syndrome - are a "serious complication" of an E. coli infection, PHE said.

On 19 May 2011, three children at a city hospital were battling haemolytic uraemic syndrome, a life-threatening condition caused by a severe gastrointestinal infection with the bacterium Escherichia coli.

Famous for outlining the "three act" structure used by many screenplays, the author and lecturer died of haemolytic anaemia at his Beverly Hills home.

About a quarter of the near 3,000 people sick from E.coli have developed a severe complication from the bacteria called haemolytic uraemic syndrome, or HUS, which affects the blood, kidneys and nervous system.

It said one of the strange things about the outbreak was the number of cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome.