Fall of a butcher they called a good man

The mood has turned in the small Scottish town at centre of food- poison scandal

It was a cold, grey day in Wishaw yesterday as they cremated 71-year- old Jessie Rogerson. For the Rev James Davidson, it was the third funeral in four days.

The day before, his composure had failed him slightly, exposing some of the deep pain he was feeling at the loss of so many friends and the threat, from the bacterium E. coli 0157, to so many more.

That was at the funeral of Alex Gardiner, 60, a former church elder and one of a group of 78 pensioners who sat down to take a fateful meal at Wishaw Old Parish Hall in Lanarkshire on 17 November. Four of them are among the seven who, poisoned by E. coli in the gravy of their meat pies, have since died. "I am getting to the end of my tether," Mr Davidson said at Mr Gardiner's funeral. "I am losing my friends and I am entrusted with burying them. It is very painful, but God is giving me the strength to carry on."

Yesterday, the only good news in Wishaw was that no one else had died. The number of people affected by the bug, however, continued to rise, with 24 new suspected cases being reported to Lanarkshire and Forth Valley health boards. The total number of confirmed cases was 191, with another 166 suspected.

Around 20 victims are giving doctors cause for concern, with one elderly woman described as "poorly" and seven children receiving dialysis treatment to cleanse their poisoned blood at the renal unit of Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow.

As Lord Mackay, the Lord Advocate of Scotland declared that the deaths would be the subject of a fatal accident inquiry - which could lead to criminal proceedings - the gloom around the town deepened.

Wishaw is a small community, badly affected by the loss of steel and coal production, particularly the closure of the Ravenscraig steel plant. When people heard that John Barr of John M Barr & Son, the Scottish Butcher of the Year and, arguably the town's favourite butcher, was being linked to the outbreak, they rallied to him.

He is variously described as kind, jovial, professional, dedicated and popular. But those who know him found their loyalties tested on Wednesday when the North Lanarkshire environmental services department alleged that he had supplied cold meats for an 18th birthday party on 23 November, after its officers had twice asked him not to, having told him that his shop was a possible source.

"He is a lovely man," said fellow butcher John Morrison, 25, of JM Butchers. "But selling that meat after he was told not to has changed the way a lot of people are thinking.

"Most people feel sorry for him. Certainly my heart goes out to him. He has been a great family butcher for about 30 years but he has made one mistake and it could cost him everything. A lot of people are saying they won't go back if he reopens."

With sales of meat in the town down by 30 per cent, according to Mr Morrison, it will take some time to restore confidence. "I have shopped at Mr Barr's for more than 20 years and I always found the place absolutely immaculate," one woman said.

"At Christmas, we used to go round the back to fetch our parcels, and even the back was beautifully clean. I had planned to support him, but when I heard about the meat being sold after the warning, it changed everything. I won't be going back."

The town seems torn by a genuine feeling, bordering on love, for Mr Barr, and its disappointment in the alleged illicit sale of meat. A number of people who attended the party where the meat was consumed have subsequently fallen ill.

"I was very surprised when I heard about that," Marion Brown, a local pensioner, said. "I used to go in there but I found the reports about the wrongful sale of meat worrying. I will go back when he re- opens, but it will take time."

Mr Barr's large bungalow at nearby Overtown was empty yesterday. His shop and the small works that supplies more than 70 outlets were locked. Two signs thanked the community for its support and said business would recommence "as soon as the present situation is resolved".

But while the community struggled with its admiration for a good man and its anger that he appears to have let himself down, there was unequivocal support from one quarter.

Canon Patrick McGovern of St Ignatius's Church warned against laying blame. "There is a lot of grief in the community at the moment and there are a lot of sick people and bereaved," he said.

"But John Barr has always been good to this community. He has always been kind and professional. My housekeeper has always bought my meat from there and, when this is all over, I shall ask her if she wouldn't mind going back to Mr Barr's and buying it again."