CRITICAL concerns have been raised about the legionella risk at council-owned shops across the Barrow area, according to a worrying new report.

Barrow Borough Council asked experts to conduct risk assessments at 19 shops it leases on council estates in Barrow, Walney and Dalton to safeguard against the killer bug.

The company Bio-Chemica identified several areas of ‘critical’ concern, it has now emerged.

The issue has entered the public domain because of a report going to a council committee on September 9 providing an update on the scare.

Legionnaire’s Disease caused a scandal in Barrow in 2002 when an outbreak occurred at the council-run Forum 28 in Duke Street.

The bacteria, which can be found in water systems and can be inhaled in droplets, left seven members of the public dead, 180 suffering ill-health and landed council officials in the dock.

During the latest checks, no premises were found to have the ‘highest’ level of concern for legionella.

But ‘critical’ and ‘essential’ issues that needed addressing promptly to comply with Legionella safe practice were discovered, according to the report.

As a result of the findings, the council drafted in a company at sudden notice to carry out vital repair works at the affected properties.

None of the shops have been directly identified by the authority.

Checks were carried out in Newbarns, Ormsgill, Walney and Dalton.

Council chiefs have also written to shop owners and reminded them of their water ‘management responsibilities’ when occupying council-let units.

They could also be subject to spot checks by the council to make sure they are on top of safeguards to prevent a Legionella outbreak.

Attempts were made to seek comment from Barrow Council bosses while council leader Cllr Ann Thomson pledged to respond to concerns in due course.

Cllr Hazel Edwards, leader of the opposition Conservatives, called the findings ‘shocking’ and said the public needed reassurances from the council.

Cllr Edwards said: “I have been told nothing about this report and nothing has been passed to us as the opposition party.

"This issue is a great priority for the council in light of what happened 17 years ago. The risk to the public is too great to ignore and as a council we should be monitoring this."

Cllr Edwards, who represents Hawcoat, added: “I think the council should be putting out a statement identifying any risks and the specific areas because otherwise there is a danger the public could over-react.”

Among the areas of concern found were hoses which were ‘non-compliant,’ a damaged water storage tank and a series of plumbing issues with replacement equipment being needed.

The report by Janice Sharp, the council’s assistant director for housing, is described as having ‘significant implications’ with regard to ‘water safety compliance within shop premises’.

Her report said: “On June 21st, Bio-Chemica provided officers with 17 of the 19 Legionella risk assessments for shops with two categories of recommendations that required action within one month and three months.

“With regard to the critical concerns identified, officers wrote to the 17 shop leaseholders on July 10th to outline their management responsibilities.

"Officers will be conducting periodic visits to ensure the shops remain compliant.”

The report added: “Due to the urgency of the identified essential works, officers appointed a suitably-qualified plumbing contractor to complete the works within the three-month timeframe.

"Officers sought approval from the director of resources prior to the appointment of the plumbing contractor, as by delaying the appointment until the next scheduled meeting of the housing management forum would have resulted in a period of non-compliance.”

The council agreed last year to tighten up practices at its premises, although the report to the council’s housing management forum states that  risk assessments did not take place until May 2019.