More Than 90 Affected By Sickness Potentially Linked To Site

The River Dart Country Park has been temporarily closed while investigations continue into an illness outbreak which reportedly has now affected more than 90 people.

The decision to close the site was made by the park’s management on 12 August 2014, following discussions with Public Health England and the Environmental Health Agency, and the site will remain closed until 18 August 2014 to allow the investigation into the cause of the outbreak of illness to be completed.

Those already staying at the site have also been asked to leave to allow the investigation to take place.

In a statement, Mark Simpson, managing director of River Dart Country Park, said: “Our primary concern is naturally for the welfare of our visitors and we have not taken this very difficult decision without serious consideration.

“I fully appreciate that this will cause unforeseen disruption to many holiday and day visitor plans for which I can only apologise.”

Expert Opinion

We welcome the difficult management decision made by those in charge of the River Dart Country Park to close the site in order to ensure that the cause of the illness outbreak can be thoroughly investigated. <br/> <br/>"With more than 90 people now affected by these problems it is clear there will be a large number of frustrated victims and families seeking answers regarding the illness and how it emerged. <br/> <br/>"Through the cases we have been involved in, we have seen first-hand the impact that norovirus can have on sufferers, often leading them to develop long-term health issues which they may not fully recover from. <br/> <br/>"Unfortunately illnesses such as norovirus not only disrupt holidays but can also result in the sufferer having to take further time off work after their holiday, and other impacts on their diet and social lives." Amandeep Dhillon - Partner