ENVIRONMENTAL health officers have been called to a Bournemouth hotel following an outbreak of a vomiting bug among guests.

The officials were called to the Heathlands Hotel in Grove Road yesterday morning after 22 people staying at the 130-bedroom establishment came down with diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms.

Bournemouth Borough Council said the cases at Heathlands have not been confirmed as the norovirus but tests are now being carried out to determine the cause of the symptoms.

The Heathlands is the third central Bournemouth hotel to have been affected by a sickness bug in recent weeks.

Two or three cases have been reported at the Carlton Hotel in Meyrick Road and the Suncliff Hotel in East Overcliff Drive.

No one from the Heathlands hotel or its group, Britannia, would comment yesterday.

Rob White, head of regulatory services at Bournemouth Borough Council, said: “An environmental health officer visited the Heathlands Hotel on Wednesday following a report from the hotel that a number of guests are experiencing gastroenteritis symptoms.

“We have liaised with the Health Protection Agency and the hotel to put in place a broad range of measures alongside the hotel’s own health and safety procedures to contain the illness. All guests experiencing these symptoms have been asked to remain in their rooms to avoid the spread of infection.”

Kevin Wood, Suncliff Hotel owner, said two guests in one party reported feeling unwell a couple of weekends ago and once they’d left staff followed usual precautions by using hand gel.

“We have had 800 guests through the building since then and we have not had any more reports. We haven’t received a visit from Environmental Health and we haven’t had any confirmation of tests coming back as positive.”