Watford Borough Council is still waiting for test results but believes the cause of a recent outbreak of sickness at Walkabout may be norovirus.

The council says a number of people have contacted them suffering from illness after they visited the bar in Watford town centre at the weekend.

Many people have reported suffering from sickness, with symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea.

Environmental health officers at the council do not believe the cause is food poisoning but are awaiting test results to confirm this.

Instead, Justine Hoy, head of community protection, says all information indicates a virus has affected a number of people – in this case believed to be norovirus – but again they are waiting for test results to confirm this.

Watford Observer:

Norovirus, also known as the “winter-vomiting bug” is a stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea.

Symptoms start suddenly within 1 to 2 days of being infected but usually only last a couple of days.

Previous story: Walkabout in Watford closed after number of people report being ill

Anyone who has been affected or has suffered from illness after visiting town at the weekend is asked to make sure they keep clean and wash their hands regularly.

Ms Hoy said: “Anyone affected should take care to ensure good personal hygiene. This means washing your hands with soap and water regularly and thoroughly drying them. This is particularly important after using the toilet and before preparing food or eating.

“Don’t rely on alcohol gels as these do not kill the virus. If this is an infection with norovirus, which we think it is, this is self-limiting and most people will make a full recovery in 1-2 days. It is important to keep hydrated – especially children and the elderly."

Walkabout was closed on Tuesday evening and for most of Wednesday but has since reopened following a deep-clean.

A spokeswoman said yesterday that environmental health officers could “find no evidence” linking Walkabout to the sickness outbreak.

Read more: Walkabout Watford says ‘no evidence found’ linking bar to sickness outbreak

Cllr Karen Collett, responsible for the community, added: “We have had a number of people contact us in relation to this incident.

“We are not expecting any new cases and are currently advising people how to manage symptoms and prevent anyone else being affected. The council is working with Walkabout, which has now reopened following a comprehensive deep clean, to ensure there is no on-going risk to health.”

Advice on managing the virus can be found at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/norovirus