THE OWNER of a kebab shop at the centre of the typhoid probe in Newport claims he has been made a scapegoat for the outbreak.

Newport council allowed Sam's Kebab House in Commercial Road, Pill, to re-open from today after it closed voluntarily on August 9.

But it is not saying if the shop was the source of the outbreak which made four victims ill - or whether attempts to locate the source were continuing. All four have made a complete recovery, the council said.

Sam Bulut, 51, pictured, said he faced ruin when his kebab shop closed the day after three teenagers were first reported to be in hospital with the disease.

Mr Bulut, who lives above the takeaway with his family, said he was glad to be reopened but also expected the council to come out and say that his shop was not the source.

"We are considering a compensation claim against the council and we feel we have been targeted by them," he said.

"I can tell you that the contamination did not come from here. I have had a successful business in this town for 14 years without any problems.

"My customers used to come from all over the place to eat here - even from as far away as 30 miles.

"How am I supposed to get them to come back now? We just want them back."

Although the takeaway was closed voluntarily he says he was put in a 'Catch-22' situation by the council.

"The environmental health officers said to me either I could decide to co-operate and close the business or they would do it for me and shut the shop down," he said.

In a statement, Newport council said it could not say whether the outbreak was at the kebab shop.

It was confident that all possible action had been taken to prevent further cases.

A spokeswoman for the council said she could not confirm whether the results of the investigation would ever be made public, but added: "We are committed to be as open as it is possible to be."

The investigation has been led by the council, Gwent Health Authority and the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (Wales).

Spreading of the infection from a carrier can be avoided by good personal hygiene - using soap and washing hands in warm running water after using the toilet.

The disease is treated by using antibiotics.