A nursery at the centre of a suspected E.coli outbreak which put two children in hospital has reopened while an investigation by Government officials continues.

Two youngsters have been receiving treatment for ‘complications’ at Leighton Hospital and a number of others have been affected by the suspected outbreak of E.coli 0157E at the family-run Chrysalis Day Nursery and Pre-school in Northwich.

Fourteen probable cases were reported following screening of all staff and youngsters after both children and family members showed symptoms of the infection.

This prompted the popular nursery,  which has regularly received outstanding ratings in Ofsted inspections, to ask parents to keep their children at home as a precaution.

But owner Kathy Bowe, who runs the nursery with husband Mike, confirmed they were now back open to accommodate the children who have been cleared of infection.

She told The Chronicle: “We reopened  on Tuesday for the children who have been cleared, and for the staff.

“We are still co-operating fully with both Cheshire West and Chester Council and Public Health England (PHE) to investigate this matter.”

She added: “I can’t comment too much but I can say that all the parents have been exceedingly supportive and exceedingly faithful to us – they have co-operated with everything and my staff have worked tirelessly, even coming in on the weekend to make sure we got everything sorted to be able to reopen and get back to normality.

“Our main concern is for the children and their families.”

E.coli is a type of bacterium that is present in the gut of humans and other animals. Most strains are harmless but some are able to produce toxins that can cause symptoms in humans.

The severity of the illness varies considerably, but some types lead to severe cramps and diarrhoea.

Dr Richard Jarvis from Cheshire and Merseyside’s PHE team said: “Investigations are still ongoing and all public health measures have been put in place to help prevent further cases.”