Following the second reported outbreak of legionnaires' disease in just over a year in Scotland, anti-scald manufacturer Inta has again advised installers on sources of information to help combat the bacteria.

The Scottish town of Renfrew has so far seen five people diagnosed with the illness, leaving one person still in hospital. This comes after an epidemic in Edinburgh last May, which claimed the lives of three men and resulted in over 100 people being treated for symptoms.

Stuart Gizzi, director at Inta, said: “Thankfully, this outbreak does not appear to be as extreme as those we have seen over the past couple of years. However, it is still disappointing that we have to echo previous warnings, as lessons have not been learnt from the Edinburgh outbreak.

“Legionella is a bacteria that thrives in tepid and warm water, at temperatures of around 20 - 45 degrees, and can occur when taps and showers have been left unused for a considerable period of time.

“The obvious solution is to heat water to very high temperatures in order to destroy the bacteria. But, while legionnaires’ kills people, so does scalding hot water. A dangerous number of bathrooms and washrooms are not fitted with the sort of technology that can bring the water back down to safe temperatures for the user.

“This latest incident is a serious reminder of how necessary it is to take precautions against the infection, whether in a commercial or industrial setting, or in the home or healthcare sector.

“Inta’s anti-scald booklet not only contains TMV2-approved products that can cool water to safe temperatures, but it also offers information on how reduce the risk of legionella and a guide to installing and maintaining products.”

For a copy of Inta’s anti-scald booklet or for more information their range of products, call 01889 272180 or visit www.intatec.co.uk.