Two babies have died at a hospital where there has been an outbreak of E. coli. The premature babies were in the neonatal unit at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital in Bedfordshire.

A spokesman for the hospital said that the bacterium would have contributed to the deaths of the babies, but would not have been the sole cause.

The drug-resistant bacterium was discovered in the unit at the end of last month. Two other babies are being treated for the condition and another seven are known to have it in their systems but they have not developed an infection.

Luton and Dunstable Hospital said it was the first time that this strain of E. coli – known as ESBL – had broken out at the hospital. Babies from other hospitals are not being admitted and any babies born at the hospital who need special care are being tested for the bacterium.

A spokesman said: “The situation is now under control. There have been no new cases of ESBL in the unit since 13 October.”

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