BABIES are being treated at Southend and Basildon Hospitals after being given contaminated nutritional liquid.

Staff at both hospitals confirmed one baby at each site had been fed through a drip a batch of parenteral nutrition which had been infected by Bacillus cereus bacteria.

Treatment is being provided to both infants, with the child in Southend's neonatal unit being described as "showing symptons of septicaemia".

An investigation is currently ongoing with officials from Public Health England and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority looking into how the batches from pharmaceutical firm ITH Pharma became contaminated.

A baby at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London tragically died after developing septicaemia through the contaminated liquid.