A FAMILY caught up in the E coli outbreak has reacted angrily to being accused of bringing the infection into one of the affected schools.

Chloe Eldridge, five, was the only child in the primary department of the Bexley Business Academy who contracted the infection before the primary department closed a day early for the summer term.

Her younger sister Louise, three, was one of more than a dozen children from the academy's nursery who came down with the infection before the nursery was forced to close on July 20.

The academy's chief executive Sam Price and some parents blame the girls' parents, Phil and Sarah Eldridge, for sending Chloe to school in defiance of advice from health professionals.

But Mr Eldridge, of Kale Road, Thamesmead, claims he checked it was alright to send Chloe to school after keeping her at home for several days.

Mrs Price says the family had been advised twice by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) not to send Louise to school.

She said: "They ignored this instruction. This was extremely irresponsible. Eight days after being told to keep their daughter out of school, she became ill."

The incubation period for the infection can be up to 10 days.

Mrs Price claims the family had put 400 children at risk.

She said: "If they had done what was asked of them, I would not have had to close the school and would not be facing a bill of at least £30,000 for deep cleaning and replacing books, soft furnishings and other equipment. I am extremely angry."

Fetiye Husseyin, 36, who has a son in the primary department and a daughter in the nursery, is also angry.

When her daughter became ill and was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, with E coli, she took her son out of school. He has not developed the infection.

She said: "I am so annoyed with this family. They put other children's lives at risk. I think they should be charged for the cost of cleaning the school."

But Mr Eldridge said: "We did exactly as we were advised. We kept Chloe out of school for a week.

"She wanted to go back for the last few days of term, for sports day and other events. We asked the HPA if it was all right and they said yes."

A HPA spokesman says all families with an infected child were told not to send their other children to school until tests proved they were free of the bacteria.