The fifth person to have died from the outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease in Cumbria has been named as mother-of-two Christine Merewood.

The 55-year-old from Barrow-in-Furness - where the outbreak started - died on Friday evening in the intensive care unit at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

Her husband William, 60, said his wife had been looking forward to a long retirement having given up work a few months ago.

Christine got on with everybody and nothing was too much trouble for her

William Merewood Husband

Four weeks after the start of the Legionnaires' outbreak in Barrow-in-Furness, 16 people remain in hospital in Barrow and Lancaster - three of them in intensive care.

Mr Merewood said he and his wife had planned to retire together earlier this summer, but work commitments meant he had to delay his retirement until later this year.

"She was always very active and was looking forward to a long retirement," he said.

"But unfortunately, it was not to be.

"Christine was a very gregarious lady. She got on with everybody and nothing was too much trouble for her."

The couple's sons - Ian, 34, and Philip, 29 - were said to be "devastated" at their mother's death.

Mr Merewood also paid tribute to the staff who had looked after his wife through the past month.

'Admiration'

"All that time, the doctors and all the nurses have been very, very helpful and caring and are doing a marvellous job there," he said.

"They worked non-stop for Christine and I have nothing but admiration for them."

Investigations are continuing into a sixth death which may also have been as a result of the disease.

June Miles, 56, who had been treated at Furness General Hospital for Legionnaires' disease, died.

She had been reported to be making a good recovery from the disease.

A post-mortem examination revealed she died from heart failure, but that pneumonia - the main symptom of Legionnaires' disease - was a secondary factor.

Police inquiry

Barrow coroner, Ian Smith, opened and adjourned an inquest into her death and said it would be several weeks before anyone would know whether Mrs Miles had died as a result of catching Legionnaires' disease.

An 88-year-old man and three women aged between 54 and 74 have already died during the outbreak.

On Saturday, about 100 Legionnaires' patients were seen at the hospital in the first of a series of follow-up clinics.

Extra weekend and evening operating lists and additional clinics are being drawn up as part of the plan.

Health officials have identified a 30-year-old air-conditioning system at the town's Forum 28 leisure centre as the source of the outbreak.

A council officer has been suspending pending police and Health and Safety Executive investigations.