The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has moved to warn British travellers in Germany over the dangers of E.coli.

The decision comes as the virus continues to spread across Europe, with 17 lives lost to date.

German, believed to be at the centre of the outbreak, today began appealing for blood donations as the number of people infected with a deadly strain of E. coli rose above 1,730.

Authorities there confirmed they were dealing with an outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome, which is a serious complication from verocytotoxin-producing E-coli infection.

There are cases across the country but mainly in northern Germany.

“As a precaution, German authorities are advising people in Germany against eating raw tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce, especially in the north of the country,” said the FCO in a statement.

Further information is on UK Health Protection Agency’s (HPA) website.

Germany initially blamed Spanish cucumbers for the outbreak but has since accepted it was not the case.

Tens of thousands of kilos of fresh fruit and vegetables grown in Spain are being destroyed.

Russia has banned the import of all fresh fruit and vegetables from Europe as the outbreak continues to spread.

Cases have been reported as far afield as the United States, with seven people taken ill in the United Kingdom.