France has halted the sale of three types of seeds linked to a British company after eight people were admitted to hospital suffering from E.coli.

French health officials said the results of tests on two of the patients showed an infection of the same strain of E.coli which killed 44 people - all but one in Germany - and made more than 3,700 others ill.

Commerce Minister Frederic Lefevre said the banning order involves fenugreek, mustard and arugula seeds linked to British seed and plant vendor Thompson & Morgan.

An investigation by France's competition, consumption and fraud prevention agency found two of the eight people taken to hospital had consumed sprouts from the three seeds at a school fair in the south-western town of Begles.

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