There have been three confirmed cases in Redditch, north Worcestershire.

One woman, 62-year-old Joy Billingham, died on Wednesday. One man in his 50s is improving but a 67-year-old woman remains seriously ill.

Both are being treated at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch. An outbreak of the disease in north Worcestershire was confirmed on Friday.

Helpline opened

The confirmation of a third person with Legionnaires disease on Friday meant all the cases are no longer being treated in isolation.

The male patient is in a stable condition at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch while the 67-year-old woman who was the first case to be diagnosed in this outbreak remains critically ill.

A temporary helpline has been set up for members of the public to call in with any queries and all GPs in the area have received information about the symptoms.

Health authorities still do not know how the three people caught the illness and tests are being carried out to establish the cause.

The symptoms of Legionnaires' disease are similar to flu but it is not passed from person to person.