By David Clegg

Piperdam golf and leisure resort near Dundee was closed to new arrivals last night due to a legionnaire’s disease scare.

A 60-year-old man who recently stayed at the Angus complex died of the disease on Friday morning at a hospital in Norfolk.

Environmental health officers have since been carrying out tests on the site to determine if the resort could be the source of the infection.

Owner of Piperdam Phil Mulholland stressed it was not clear where the man had contracted the disease but said the resort would close to new arrivals for the next two weeks as a precaution.

“We regard the safety of our customers as paramount and for that reason we are putting into place a number of steps to minimise the risk of anyone possibly being affected,” he said.

“We have decided to cancel all new arrivals over the next two-week period.

“We would also add we have been informed that never at any time during the gentleman’s stay did he utilise our swimming or spa facilities, both of which are open for business.

“Although we can’t be sure where the illness was contracted we wanted to be completely safe and always put the welfare of our customers before all other considerations.

“We realise this may cause some inconvenience but we hope those affected will understand and respect why we have taken this course of action.”

A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said contaminated water was the most likely cause of the man’s illness but the source had yet to be established in this case.

“The Health Protection Agency (England) and NHS Tayside can confirm they are currently investigating a potential single case of legionnaire’s disease,” she said.

“The patient was being treated in hospital in the east of England but sadly died on Friday, April 11. The patient had recently visited the Tayside area before becoming ill.

“The health protection teams are working together with local authorities to investigate all possible sources of infection.”

One man who uses the facilities at the resort regularly said the incident would not put him off going there.

“I use the facilities at the resort all the time and this certainly won’t stop me from going,” he said.

Another resident said they had known someone who had died of the disease but added they would continue to use the facilities if they were not thought to be involved.

“I use the spa and the swimming pool at Piperdam every Sunday,” he said.

“A colleague of mine lost his wife to the disease so I know how serious it is.

“It is a little concerning but I think it should be safe to use the facilities if they are not being examined by the local health department.”

Legionnaire’s disease is caused by types of bacteria that are commonly found in the environment.

People become infected when they breathe in air that contains legionella bacteria which have been dispersed into the air in very fine droplets of water.

If the bacteria get inhaled they can cause infection.

It is not contagious and can be treated effectively by antibiotics.