 After huge efforts to prevent the disease from spreading further (by killing infected animals as well as disinfecting every vehicle entering certain parts of the county), the outbreak was officially halted in October 2001 (after beginning in February the same year).In 2001, the South Cumbrian town of Barrow-in-Furness hit global headlines after an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease; the source of the bacteria was later found to be steam coming out of a badly-maintained air conditioning unit in the forum 28 media and arts centre; the disease killed seven people and in total there were 172 cases; it was one of the worst outbreaks of its kind in recorded history (the most deadly in the UK's history).Because of the 2001 outbreak, in 2006, Barrow Borough Council was the first public body in the country to face corporate manslaughter charges; the charges were cleared but chief architect Gillian Beckingham and Barrow Borough Council were fined £15,000 and £125,000 respectively.