A consultant told the E-coli inquiry yesterday that he had asked for reassurances about cross-contamination of products sold by Wishaw butcher John Barr.

Dr John Cowden, consultant epidemiologist with the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health, asked if there was a possibility of cross-infection from raw meats to cooked meat, and also from the butchery side to meat or non-meat products in the bakery.

He said he was assured by Mr Jeffrey Tonner, a North Lanarkshire principal environmental health officer, that there was no possibility.

Dr Cowden, questioned by depute procurator-fiscal Ian McCann, said that it would have been his view that ''Mr Barr should cease selling anything which was not destined for appropriate further heat treatment'', had he not been given the assurance.

On the Saturday, November 23, 1996, Dr Cowden said there was no evidence or proof that Mr Barr's Caledonian Road premises was the source of the outbreak. But an ''all or nothing decision'' was taken about control measures on the working hypothesis that Mr Barr's shop was the source.

Defending the delay in publishing a list of outlets supplied by Mr Barr, Dr Cowden explained there were problems because his cooked meats were not labelled.

The fatal accident inquiry into the 21 E-coli 0157 deaths during the epidemic continues.