The Wishaw shop of butcher John Barr was described as having become a ''bit of an infection superstore'', at the fatal accident inquiry into 21 food poisoning deaths yesterday.

Mr Angus Stewart, QC for Central Health Service, made the observation while cross examining James Murray, one of two assistant managers who worked for John Barr.

Earlier Mr Murray told the inquiry he and the rest of the staff regularly ate cooked meat from the Barr shop for breakfast and nearly all had tested positive for E-coli but he displayed no symptoms and never became ill.

Cross examined by Paul Santoni, solicitor for the families, Mr Murray explained that there was only one set of knives in the front shop and staff did not use gloves to handle the meat but pieces of cellophane.

The knives were cleaned with warm soapy water and a wipe with a cloth and Mr Murray admitted that he had a ''bad habit'' of wiping them with his fingers.

He went on to tell Mr Colin Sutherland, QC for North Lanarkshire Council, that on the evening of November 22 when senior staff had been called to Mr Barr's home he had been told by his employer to remove all cooked meat from the shop and vacuum pack in readiness for collection the following morning by environmental health officers.

Mr Murray denied a suggestion from Mr Sutherland that the instruction had been to remove ''all cooked meat products,'' which would have included steak pies.

Pressed on instructions given by Mr Barr that fateful Friday, Mr Murray replied: ''I was told to give the place a wee clean up. To give the machines a wee clean up and take all of the cold meats out of the shop chill, take them to the vacuum packer and get them ready for the environmental health because they wanted to take all the cold meats away to test them.''

The inquiry was told earlier that another butcher's shop, with a past record of hygiene breaches, was paid cash compensation for voluntarily closing during the epidemic.

The shop, which was supplied by John Barr and linked to eight E-coli 0157 cases, was named as Mulvaney's, of New Stevenston.

The inquiry continues.

qTwo laboratory assistants helping to monitor the E-coli bug have been struck down by the potentially deadly condition.

The two women were taken ill after carrying out work at a research unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

One of them needed hospital treatment and was later released, but the other woman, who was confirmed to have the condition after tests, did not need care.

Leading E-coli expert, Professor Hugh Pennington, who is involved with work at the research lab, said last night the outbreak showed the hazardous nature of the work involved, but that every precaution was taken when handling E-coli samples.

Professor Pennington added that a full review of the laboratory's procedures had been carried out and that it had been given the green light to resume its work by the Health and Safety Executive following the incident around two weeks ago.