The family of a severely disabled man who fell violently ill after visiting a swimming pool in Rainham are seeking justice from Medway Council.

Tracey Cook, mother of Joe, 28, has instructed an expert legal firm to launch an independent investigation after the incident in which up to 90 children and adults suffered sickness and diarrhoea.

It is estimated about 120 people were unwell and 125 days of work or school were missed after the Halloween-themed party on Friday, October 28 last year.

One of Joe’s carers also became ill after their outing to the pool in Bloors Lane the day before on Thursday, October 27. After norovirus was diagnosed, Joe, of Twydall Lane, Gillingham, then developed the more serious strain of c difficile and has since been in hospital four times.

Mrs Cook, 57, said his illness had been life-changing not just for wheelchair-bound Joe but for herself and husband Martin.

Joe, the youngest of the couple’s three sons, was born with a chromosome disorder, suffers from epilepsy and has communication difficulties.

Mrs Cook, said: “Dealing with health problems is very different from dealing with a disability. He has lost a lot of weight and is tube-fed. It is very difficult for him to keep food down. It has affected his immune system.”

Joe used to look forward to going to Splashes once a week, but now rarely leaves the house.

Mrs Cook, said: “It was incredibly upsetting to see Joe suffering and we were very concerned.

“The visit to the swimming pool was supposed to be a nice day out for Joe, yet ended up with him being seriously ill for weeks.

"Public Health England’s report into the situation with the pool was very concerning.

“Joe deserves justice for what happened.”

Law firm Irwin Mitchell has started its own enquiries into the incident and urged anyone else affected to come forward.

Amandeep Dhillon, a partner and public health lawyer, said: “We have already started to investigate Joe’s case and, as part of our work, would be keen to also hear from anyone else affected.

"It is vital that lessons are learned so that such issues simply never arise again.”

A report from Public Health England found chlorine levels at the leisure centre fell dangerously low on the day of the sickness bug outbreak. It found that staff did not follow standard pool procedures.

On the day of the norovirus outbreak, the automatic chlorine system was turned off at noon to allow a coloured dye to be put into the water for the Halloween party.

Medway Council has disputed the figure of how many were affected. It has addressed PHE’s recommendations that staff undergo additional training and despite using the dye on numerous occasions, will not be using it again.

A Medway Council spokesman said: “We would like to again apologise to those who felt unwell after visiting Splashes in October last year. The Public Health England investigation into the spread of norovirus has now closed and their recommendations have been adopted by the council.

“This was a rare and isolated incident for Medway. We have a fantastic range of leisure facilities in Medway, all of which are run in-line with strict health and safety guidelines to ensure residents and visitors have an enjoyable experience.”