A health expert investigating the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Barrow says there needs to be more awareness of the risks posed by air conditioning units.

The comments by Dr Nick Gent from the Outbreak Control Team come four months to the day since the outbreak was first discovered.

The legionella bacteria grew inside the air conditioning at the Forum 28 arts centre.

A total of 151 people were infected and five people died as a direct result of the outbreak.

Barrow link

However, the police and the Health and Safety Executive are investigating a total of seven deaths.

There were 13 cases elsewhere in Britain, all with a confirmed link to Barrow-in-Furness.

It was the UK's worst outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in more than a decade.

Dr Gent said: "I think that people have got to have an increased awareness that the risk that certain types of machinery produce.

"I think because it is a long time since the last major outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, that people have possibly become a bit complacent."

Specialist team

Experts investigating the cause of the outbreak confirmed the source as being the town's Forum 28 arts and civic centre.

A special team was set up by Cumbria and Lancashire NHS health protection unit to deal with the outbreak.

All confirmed cases involved people who had either lived near to, or visited, Barrow town centre during July.

All patients have now been discharged from hospital.