DECONTAMINATION teams have spent the weekend at one of the region's most famous hotels for the second time in a month.

The Grand, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, has already been forced to close its doors this year after a number of guests were struck down with the Norwalk virus - a form of gastroenteritis, which causes bouts of sickness and diarrhoea.

The hotel was closed for a weekend in May and thoroughly cleaned.

There has been no official confirmation that Norwalk is to blame for the latest incident, but experts say it is the most likely cause of an illness which affected more than 50 guests.

The North Yorkshire Health Promotion Unit has emphasised that standards of hygiene at the hotel are not in question.

However, it said it was likely to be Friday before guests were allowed back through its doors.

"We are following the general guidelines laid out by the environmental health authority for public places," said a spokesman.

"We have taken the precaution of not admitting any new customers for seven nights. The virus, which is contagious, can affect others simply by sharing the same environment.''

The Grand is not the only public facility in Yorkshire hit by the illness this year. Scarborough's Cross Lane Hospital, York District Hospital, and a school near Selby, have also been victims of the Norwalk virus over the past six weeks.