Law inspired by BGT’s Finn starts today

Two caterers shut down as officials investigate

BRAVE Finn and PC Wardell A NEW law to protect police dogs and horses comes into force today.

The Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act, known as Finn’s Law, will prevent those who attack or injure service animals from claiming self-defence.

The law is named after a police dog, Finn, who was stabbed while chasing a suspect in Stevenage, Herts, in 2016, with his handler, PC David Wardell.

The pair reached the final of Britain’s Got Talent on ITV last Sunday.

PC Wardell said: “We wanted to bring as much positive from that one negative as we could.”

Michael Gove, Environment Secretary, said: “This law is about giving our service animals the protection they deserve.” the families of those patients who have died. We, along with the FSA, local authorities and the NHS, have worked quickly to determine the likely cause of this outbreak.”

Two companies linked to the outbreak have agreed to shut down.

One is North Country Cooked Meats in Salford, Greater Manchester, which has been trading for 36 years producing meat and poultry products.

It supplies the other company which has closed, the Good Food Chain, based in Stone, Staffs, which produces the Whole Lotta Good range for hospitals, universities and sporting venues. Sandwith wiches and salads linked to the outbreak were withdrawn on May 25.

A spokesman for the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said it “sincerely regretted” that two seriously ill patients had contracted listeria.

The trust, which would not say when the deaths occurred, said the sandwiches were from the patient menu.

Aintree Hospital said: “Public health experts advised us of this supply chain issue on May 24 and we immediately removed all products from this supplier.”

The Food Standards Agency is investigating how the outbreak occurred.

Chief Dr Colin Sullivan said: “Our sympathies are with the families of those patients who tragically passed away.”