A wedding party with 80 guests – including 60 serving police officers – fell ill with norovirus after being served food ‘unfit for human consumption’.

The happy couple and the majority of their guests became unwell with the vomiting bug after eating vegetarian lasagne and fish pie during the reception at The Globe Inn at Frogmore, Devon.

Pub owners John Horsley, 64, and wife Lynda, 63, have been fined £10,000 for using dirty cleaning equipment and unclean food at the party.

They admitted three charges of breaching food hygiene laws at Torquay Magistrates Court and were fined £4,999 each. 

Environmental health inspectors found unacceptable levels of bacteria on a towel used for hand drying and a pot sponge after the party last year. 

The court heard how the couple failed to keep premises clean and have a proper system in place to check hygiene.

They were also found to have been unable to comply with food safety requirements.