SHOP owner Brian Henson's life has been a nightmare since the start of the year.

He has been abused by the public -- even the children of his staff have been picked on.

Now the devastated owner of the Bacon Joint in Brackley Street, Farnworth, faces the heart-breaking prospect of losing his business and his home.

Mr Henson, aged 34, claims he is at the centre of a hate campaign after 65 people were struck down with salmonella over Christmas and New Year.

He says his business is just days away from going bust. And if the bank stops his company mortgage, he will also lose his home.

"Everyone at the shop is devastated about this," said Mr Henson. "We have worked so hard since we moved into these new premises last year.

"We extended the shop to make more room, but with the lack of customers, all the money that is coming in is going straight out again.

"I've not been able to pay any bills for months. It's like everything is stacked against us."

Just days into the New Year, Mr Henson was told the news that his business was at the centre of a major investigation as people swamped doctors surgeries with a sickness and diarrhoea bug.

Mr Henson claims that since his shop re-opened for business last month after being given the all clear by public health experts, he and his staff have still been subjected to abuse.

He said: "Before Christmas it was really busy. But since the outbreak I can see my old customers walking right past the shop.

"But it has not just affected us in the shop. It has had a knock-on effect on our families. The children of members of staff are even getting picked on in the playground.

"Only the other day, someone shouted 'foot and mouth' at me in the street. A lot of it is ignorance."

Mr Henson claims that the food poisoning outbreak has caused such a massive slump in trade that he has been forced to lay off nine staff.

Before Christmas, The Bacon Joint saw more than 700 customers come through the doors. Now he is lucky to get 200 customers on a Saturday.

He said: "I have done everything that I can to reassure people that this is now the safest shop in Bolton." Mr Henson and his staff insist that they have continuously abided by strict management systems to ensure food safety within the shop.

Instructions displayed on the wall and in folders in the shop detail how food must be moved, stored and prepared and all meats are kept inside temperature-controlled fridges and freezers.

Investigators at Bolton Council's environmental health department have not yet reported the conclusion of their inquiry.

The food poisoning outbreak is thought to have come from turkey and pork bought from an outlet in East Lancashire.

Although many of his old customers have turned their back on the shop, Mr Henson is pleased that some have returned despite the adverse publicity. Amanda Bentham, of Tennyson Road, Farnworth, regularly calls into The Bacon Joint while out shopping in the town.

She said: "It's not stopped me coming back -- I think you just have to let it go."

Since the outbreak, Mr Henson appeared before Manchester Magistrates after he was found to be two-and-a-half times the drink-drive limit. He will be sentenced on Wednesday.

In court, Mr Henson's solicitor said he had been under a great deal of stress since the start of the investigation into the salmonella outbreak.