Wetherspoons norovirus outbreak leaves customers ‘shooting from both ends’ as pub shut

A NOROVIRUS outbreak at a Wetherspoons left customers “shooting out of both ends” as the pub has had shut until it gets a deep clean.

Customers of the Sir Richard Owen pub in Lancaster said they suffered severe vomiting and diarrhoea after eating there over the weekend.

A computer technician said he has been suffering in “agony” after going to the pub with mates on Sunday evening.

Ben, 21, told The Sun Online: “I think it was in the ice because my friends and I all had drinks with ice in it and since then I’ve been throwing up everything under the sun.

“We’ve all had to take a week off word and we are now out of pocket for it.

“I went to work on Tuesday morning but threw up had to go home now I’ve spent two days in agony.”

A patron who only wanted to be identified as Michael said he went there for a meal at the weekend.

He told : “I went at the weekend and ended up with it shooting out of both ends.

“We put it down to wine and a large meal at Wetherspoons just not sitting well with us and that was that, though we heard a week ago about the virus at the location and now we’re sat wondering if maybe they’ve had the virus problem longer than people think.”

The chain later confirmed the pub was undergoing a deep clean following the outbreak.

A spokesman added they are planning on reopening tomorrow.

‘I’M DYING’

Laurence Johnson also claims she fell sick after eating at the The Sir Richard Owen over the weekend.

The 21-year-old told : “So I went to ‘spoons with two other mates on Sunday evening, we had a couple of drinks and a bit of food. Monday evening I threw up twice and had diarrhoea.

“One of the lads I went with has since been throwing up. Two other mates had been spoons over the weekend and were complaining of being very ill too.

“I seem to have recovered a bit faster than my other mates but I’m still a bit off. Someone has told me that it is to do with the water system so would seem ironic that they have closed since the weekend for work to be done.”

Holly McMahon, another customer, said her boyfriend was stuck in bed for two days after he had a plate of spicy chicken wings on Sunday.

Chloe Louise also told the Metro how her three-year-old son and her felt “poorly” after eating there.

Eloise Critchley added: “I’m dying today.”

reported the earlier this week that the pub denied there was an outbreak and told them: “That’s absolutely not true. We’re having a refurb.”

A spokesman later confirmed there was an outbreak and they closed the pub  to have it fully sanitised.

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “A customer was ill in the pub.

“We believe it was norovirus and that spread to staff.

“The pub was closed while it was fully sanitised and staff have remained off work to recover.

“The pub is set to reopen on Friday.”