Three swimming pools at the Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre in Wales have been forced to shut following a second outbreak of the cryptosporidium bug at the facility within a month.

On 7 September, the National Public Health Service for Wales (NPHS) ruled that the pool facilities at the centre were safe after 20 confirmed cases of the illness were linked to a pool party held in mid-August. An independent water expert conducted tests on the water to ensure the safety of the public, but eight new cases of the cryptosporidium bug have now been confirmed in adults and children who used the pool between the end of August and early September.

Dr Gwen Lowe, consultant in Communicable Disease Control for the NPHS for Wales, said: "Following the first outbreak of illness, a rigorous investigation indicated that the most likely source was a faecal accident and there was no need to close the pool. "However, we have continued to monitor the situation very closely and took this precautionary action as soon as the new cluster of cases was identified. The source of infection in this new cluster of cases is unclear but the swimming pools are a common risk factor in all confirmed cases."