Temperatures are rising again this weekend and the barbecue season will be in full swing. Bradford Council's Environmental Health department is therefore advising barbecue lovers on how to avoid food poisoning.

There are around 120,000 extra cases of illness in the UK when the weather gets warmer, and last year there were almost 1,000 cases of food poisoning in Bradford with probably far more than that number not being reported.

Coun Ghazanfer Khaliq, Executive Member for Environment & Sustainability, said: "People should not worry unduly about food poisoning. All they need do is follow some simple steps as advised by our Environmental Health Officers to make sure they enjoy their time eating outdoors and do not spoil it by getting ill."

Environmental Health Manager Joanne Housley said: "Barbecues can be a particular problem and it is important that meat is cooked throughout."

She added: "Out of those 1,000 food poisoning cases, over 600 were caused by campylobacter which is one of the bugs most likely to make people ill. It can be found in poultry, raw or undercooked meat and also in unpasteurised milk, untreated water and domestic pets.

"Symptoms can include stomach cramps and severe diarrohoea which is extremely unpleasant."

She explained there were simple ways of avoiding cross-contamination:

Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meat.

Use separate utensils for raw and cooked meat.

Never put cooked food on a plate or surface that has been used for raw meat.

Keep raw meat in a sealed container away from ready-to-eat foods such as burger buns and salads.

Raw meat products should not be stored next to cooked or partially cooked meat on the barbecue.

Do not add sauce or marinade to cooked food if it has already been used with raw meat.

Make sure burgers are cooked properly throughout by checking they are not pink in the middle.