Two people in Bedfordshire are being treated for Legionnaires' disease.

One person, from Luton, is recovering in the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

The other, who comes from Biggleswade, is being treated at home after being discharged from Bedford General Hospital.

Their cases are not thought to be linked to the outbreak of the infection at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria where three people have died after contracting the disease.

Not connected

A spokeswoman for Bedfordshire Health said the cases were not connected to each other.

Dr Pat Nair, a consultant in communicable disease control, said: "Both people are from different parts of the county and are not linked to other cases diagnosed elsewhere.

"Neither person has travelled to Barrow-in-Furness or outside their neighbourhood prior to becoming ill."

Dr Nair said sporadic cases of Legionaires' occur from time to time.

She said it was unlikely there would be more cases.

Mid Bedfordshire District Council's Health Protection Team is working with environmental health officers and the Health and Safety Executive to trace the source of the bacteria.

Confirmed cases

The county's experts in communicable diseases say they are keen to stress that the two cases do not constitute an outbreak of the disease.

Since the first case of the outbreak in Cumbria at the beginning of August, there have been more than 100 confirmed cases.

It is thought a contaminated air conditioning unit caused the Legionnaire's outbreak in Barrow-in-Furness.

On Tuesday a swimming pool at Shipley in West Yorkshire was closed as a precaution after the bacteria that can cause Legionnaires' disease was discovered in a water tank.