Shopkeepers risking an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease have been threatened with legal action.
“Critical and serious” issues have been found in shops leased out by Barrow Council in Cumbria.
Eighteen shops in Barrow, Walney and Dalton have been checked but inspectors could not gain access to one.
Councillors warned the threat was especially “serious” because of the town’s history of the disease.