Thousands of people may have been put at risk of contracting Hepatitis E from pork products sold at a leading supermarket.

The virus, which can cause liver cirrhosis and neurological damage, could have infected up to 200,000 people in the UK each year from 2014 to 2014, according to a Public Health England (PHE) report.

By tracing the habits of those infected, the study concluded that only “Supermarket X” was significantly associated with Hepatitis E (HEV), in particular own brand sausages. Only pork products from Europe, mainly Holland and Germany, and not the UK carry the strain.

Both PHE and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have declined to name the supermarket in question.

A spokesman from PHE said: “We clearly state in the paper that the association with the supermarket does not infer any blame.

“If it was thought there was an immediate public health threat or available preventative measures, we would have taken action.”