Doctors treating the legionnaire's disease outbreak in Cumbria say they are now "cautiously optimistic" that the epidemic has peaked.

More than seventy people are now receiving treatment for the disease with 56 confirmed cases. Officials expect to identify a further six to eight new cases per day for at least the next week.

David Telford, spokesman for Morecamb Bay Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The outbreak is apparently plateauing. We should know for certain tomorrow of the day after."

Reports that up to 130 people could contract the disease - with up to 20 dying - might have been overly pessimistic, he said. So far only one person, Richard Macaulay, 88, has died from the disease.

Poor maintenance at a council run entertainment complex is believed to have sparked the outbreak. Barrow-in-Furness council yesterday suspended its technical manager on full pay until an enquiry was complete. They also handed over documents to the police, who are expected to look at whether the plant had been properly maintained.

The regional director of public health, Professor John Ashton, said the outbreak should not result in "finger pointing" but should be described as a "systems failure". He said that although one council official had been suspended after the outbreak, "it is important to look at these as systems failures instead of the finger pointing".

· Fifteen people are now suspected of suffering from the potentially lethal food poisoning bug E coli 0157.

The outbreak began near Inverness at the weekend. Dr John Wrench, Highland NHS Board's director of public health and health policy said: "The number of cases continues to rise with one further probable case being identified. We now have three confirmed and 12 probable cases."