Thirteen patients have died after an outbreak of C. diff at Eastbourne District General Hospital in East Sussex.

Three died as a direct result of clostridium difficile while the bug was linked to a further 10 deaths at the hospital.

A further 17 patients are still being treated for the fatal infection.

The deaths were revealed at a press conference following a week of ward closures as the hospital battles to contain the problem.

A special isolation ward has been opened and patients were last week diverted to other sites up to 30 miles away for operations while cleaning work is carried out.

The increase in cases is thought to be due to the high number of patients admitted with respiratory infections.

C. diff is the major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and colitis, an infection of the intestines.

The bacterium, which lives in the gut, multiplies when doses of antibiotics disturb the natural balance of germs in the body - causing severe complications for the elderly and those already suffering a serious illness.

A spokesman for East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said: "The trust continues to keep the situation under close review and maintains the most stringent measures to contain the spread of this infection.

"A dedicated facility for patients with C. diff has been established on East Dean ward.

"The ward has been staffed with a dedicated workforce of nurses and doctors working to recognised national guidelines.

"The trust has also invested £100,000 to purchase a number of specialist hydrogen peroxide vaporisation system units.

"These are used to ensure that every surface in the area being treated is covered and ensuring that any C. diff spores are destroyed.

"This investment ensures that the trust's housekeeping teams can immediately decontaminate any area required, significantly reducing the time that a clinical area is closed which is most important at this busy time of the year."

The Kent-based Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust came under fire in October 2007 after a report revealed 90 of its hospital patients had died from C. diff.

The trust's chief executive Rose Gibb quit over the scandal.