VICTIMS of a 'devastating' E.coli outbreak are closer to getting closure after a firm of butchers admitted liability as the source of the contamination.

Criminal charges against Robinsons Butchers were dropped in April last year, however, law firm Irwin Mitchell has said the Wingate-based company had accepted responsibility.

Around 15 people were thought to have been affected by the outbreak in July 2015, which was linked to the Robinsons Butchers branches in Wingate and Billingham and also led to the closure of both sites for a short time.

Public Health England investigated into the outbreak, with a subsequent report from the authority identifying that the likely cause was contamination of ready-to-eat products with raw meat at the site.

Among those represented by Irwin Mitchell is Pamela Williams, 72, from Billingham, who became unwell after eating products from the butchers.

Following her diagnosis of E.coli, her kidneys started to fail and she needed urgent dialysis and blood transfusions.

Although she recovered, her family were told while she was in intensive care that she only had a 50/50 chance of survival.

She said: “It is incredible to think about how everything happened, particularly with my family being told that there was a major chance I may not survive.

"I feel incredibly lucky to be here but still I feel I deserve justice regarding everything I have been through.

“This latest news is very welcome but this case is about more than any settlement – it is about ensuring no one else faces what I and others have been through.

“The admission is an important moment and I am hopeful that this it is a step towards ensuring that me and the many others affected will get the justice we all deserve.”

Amandeep Dhillon, head of the public health team at the law firm, said: “This devastating illness outbreak had a significant impact on a number of people in the local area, with some continuing to suffer long-term health problems as a result of it almost three years on."