COACH driver Shane Bloor is on his way this week to making a full recovery from a potentially fatal disease.

Mr Bloor, aged 40, from Rode Heath, is being treated in Leighton Hospital for legionnaire's disease.

He was admitted to the Crewe hospital two weeks ago after complaining of flu-like symptoms and violent headaches.

Mr Bloor is a driver for Wigan-based company Shearings, and felt unwell while driving a coach party of holidaymakers from France back to this country.

Health and Safety officials from the UK are now working with their French counterparts in a bid to trace the source of the disease.

After returning home Mr Bloor went to Leighton Hospital, and after undergoing tests he was diagnosed as suffering from legionnaire's disease.

He was admitted on August 15, and was treated in the hospital's high dependency unit.

Legionnaire's attacks the lungs, and for about 10 days Mr Bloor was placed on a ventilator to help his breathing.

Hospital press officer Ian Lewsey said Mr Bloor was moved at the weekend from the unit to a side room on one of the wards.

"He is well on the way to making a full recovery, and should soon be able to go home," he said.

"We need to make sure he is in the clear, and has no breathing difficulties, and he is currently not fit enough to return home."

Other Shearings' drivers who have been in contact with Mr Bloor have been given the all-clear, as have the passengers.

Mr Bloor drove a coach party to the south of France, where the passengers were transferred to another Shearings coach to be taken on to their holiday destination in Italy.

Mr Bloor collected a party of holidaymakers returning from Italy, and drove them back to England.

"The Health and Safety Executive is liaising with the authorities in France to look at where the coach driver has been within the country to try and locate the source of the disease," said Mr Lewsey.

Peter Hilton, engineering director for Shearings, said Mr Bloor had felt unwell on the return leg of one of the company's overnight express services.

Legionnaire's cannot be spread by personal contact, and is contracted by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water such as from a shower or air conditioning system.