Doctors say over 100 people are now confirmed to have developed Legionnaires' disease in the Cumbrian outbreak.

In all, almost 900 people have been tested.

But doctors say the number of cases appears to be beginning to tail off.

Parts of the council-run arts and civic centre, thought to be at the centre of the Barrow in Furness outbreak was set to reopen on Thursday.

One hundred and five people have now been confirmed as having the disease and 56 others are suspected of being infected.

Legionnaires' outbreak

105 confirmed cases 56 suspected 130 have received treatment 19 'poorly but stable' - five giving cause for concern

Three hospitals treating cases; Furness General Hospital, Lancaster Royal Infirmary and Westmorland General Hospital, have cancelled all non-urgent surgery this week to help cope with the biggest outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Britain for 10 years.

Ten ambulance crews and an air ambulance have also been brought in from other regions.

Doctors say 19 patients are "poorly but stable" and five are giving cause for concern.

Of those confirmed with the disease, 72 remain in hospital, and 15 are being treated at home.

Nearly 50 people are in hospital awaiting test results.

One hundred and thirty people have had hospital treatment for Legionnaires' disease.

Initial inspections of the air conditioning plant at the Forum 28 in centre have suggested it may have been poorly maintained and not properly disinfected.

A council official has been suspended and police have been questioning other staff about maintenance at the centre.

Good progress

On Monday, police named the 88-year-old man who is believed to have died with Legionnaires' disease as Richard Macauley, known locally as Gerry.

An inquest into Mr Macaulay's death was opened and adjourned on Tuesday by Furness deputy coroner Alan Sharpe.

However, it appears his death may not be linked to the current outbreak. Mr Macauley lived in a nursing home and had not been near the civic centre recently.

Ian Cumming, chief executive of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, said the number of new patients was levelling off.

He said: "From the cases we are seeing in the hospital we have reached a plateau."

Richard Macauley: died from the disease

Mr Cumming said the number of new infections was expected to fall after the middle of the week.

Health minister John Hutton, who is MP for Barrow, praised healthcare staff, but added: "Everyone locally will want to know why this happened.

"There need to be answers, and there need to be answers as soon as possible."

The incubation period for Legionnaires' disease is between five and 10 days. It cannot be passed from one person to another.

There had been fears that the outbreak could claim as many as 20 lives when details first emerged on Friday.

But doctors said patients appeared to be responding well to treatment and the disease may not have affected as many as first feared.

Those worried they may have caught the disease are advised to consult their local GP, call NHS Direct or to ring the hospital on 01229 491222.