Spar has ordered a product recall bottled water in the South West that may contain bacteria.
The chain of general stores believes bottles of water containing pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria have been sold across the region.
Specifically, it is its range of Silverbrook Falls Water 500ml it is worried about.
As a precaution, SPAR is withdrawing and recalling a batch of Silverbrook Falls Water 500ml bottles (sold in either a 6x500ml multipack or single bottle) due to the detection of the bacteria. Customers are being asked to contact a store for a full refund.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria is is found widely in soil and stagnant water, and can infect humans and plants.
It does not usually cause illness in healthy people, but is described as an "opportunistic" organism, causing serious infection when our normal defences are weakened.
This means that it represents a genuine threat to the most vulnerable hospital patients, most commonly intensive care patients, those with depleted immune systems such as cancer patients, people with severe burns and premature babies in neonatal units.
The severity and type of the illness it causes depends on its route into the body.
If it enters lung tissue, for example in a cystic fibrosis patient, it can cause a form of pneumonia.
Infection of a skin wound or burn can lead to extensive tissue damage or even septic shock.
If the bacterium infects the gastro-intestinal system of a vulnerable patient, then a condition called "necrotising enterocolitis" can follow, which again causes severe tissue damage.
Bottles with the use by date July 2015 are thought to be the ones containing the bacteria.
No other Spar products are affected.
