The council committed resources to investigating the outbreak

The Birmingham-based company removed more than one million products from the shelves following the contamination at its plant in Marlbrook, Herefordshire.

The council said its environmental health officers had been tied up in the investigation into the outbreak.

This had caused delays in carrying out other aspects of their job.

The authority has made the application to the Fighting Fund run by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Officers committed time

The fund was set up to help authorities involved in large investigations.

"We've invested a large amount of officers' time and resources in the investigation into this," said Andy Tector, head of environmental health and trading standards at the council.

"This will enable us to buy back the work we would have been doing if we'd not been involved in this investigation."

He said the investigation had caused a delay of up to two months in inspections of premises in the county but that would be made up.

The company first found traces of salmonella in some of its best known chocolate bars in January, but waited another five months before it announced the outbreak.

Clean up continues

The contamination was traced to a leaking pipe at the Marlbrook plant and seven brands of chocolate were recalled.

A number of people are considering legal action against Cadbury, claiming to have contracted salmonella poisoning from one of its chocolate bars.

A spokesman for the FSA said: "This application has only just been received and will be considered by the fund panel."

The clean up operation at the Herefordshire plant, which started after the contamination was discovered, is expected to last for several more weeks.