Man, 76, arrested as summer camp children fall ill

After children fell ill at a summer camp in Leicestershire, a 76-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of administering poison. After eight children at Stathern Lodge were admitted to the hospital on Sunday, police said an investigation was underway. All have since been discharged. After receiving warnings of the children being sick, officers had to the camp in Canal Lane with East Midlands Ambulance Service. The arrested man was arrested on suspicion of delivering poison/a noxious substance with the intention of injuring/annoyance/annoying. He remains in custody.

'Conduct referral'

The investigation was now being led by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit's large incident team, according to Leicestershire Police.

This will enable a complete and detailed investigation to be conducted with dedicated funds,

a spokesperson said. Officers remained in Stathern on Thursday, probing further and ensuring relief to families affected. The police watchdog has announced that it is investigating the force's investigation into the incident's handling. On Tuesday, an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) spokesperson said it received a conduct referral from the police department

relating to the enforcement of allegations relating to a group of children's wellbeing.

Our investigation team has reviewed all available information and concluded that the matter should be investigated independently by the IOPC,they said.The probe will look at whether there were any instances of professional conduct, namely a failure to perform duties and responsibilities, which resulted in a delay in Leicestershire Police's response to what was later revealed as a critical event.

We know the fear this incident will have caused to parents, guardians, and the immediate community,

Det Insp Neil Holden, the senior investigating officer, said.

We are in touch with the parents and guardians of all children concerned.

Please be assured that we have several dedicated staff deployed and are collaborating with partner agencies, including children's services, to ensure that complete protection is available to the children concerned.

This is a complicated and sensitive probe, and we will continue to send emails to both parents and guardians as well as the general public as and when we can.

Anyone with any details is encouraged to report it online,

the portal was set up. Ed Argar, a Melton and Syston local MP, characterized the reports as

clearly shockinganddeeply troubling.

Our thoughts are with the young people affected, and we're hoping for their complete recovery,

he said.

While people will have a lot of questions about what's happened, it is important to remember that this is a live police investigation, so I would caution against speculating while the police do the investigation.

I would, however, encourage the police to release as much information as they can as soon as they will, but without prejudicing the critical investigation. "Below BBC Leicester onFacebook, onX, or onInstagram. [Contact redacted] via WhatsAppon [phone redacted].