SALMONELLA is present in one in every thirty boxes of imported eggs on sale in England, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) estimates. The figure rises to about one in eight boxes among eggs brought in from Spain, the agency said.

It repeated advice to cook eggs thoroughly to reduce the risk of food poisoning to vulnerable groups such as elderly people, babies and pregnant women.

Researchers tested 1,744 imported boxes of six eggs or more on sale at small independent shops and discount chains in London and northwest England. They found salmonella contamination on egg shells in 157 of those box samples, about 9 per cent of the total.

Tests also revealed salmonella inside eggs in ten of those same boxes.

FSA researchers combined egg import data with those findings to give a more accurate overall picture of salmonella rates among imported eggs sold in England. This came to 3.3 per cent, about one in every 30 boxes.

The samples originated from eight countries across Europe, although two thirds were from Spain. Most of the contaminated eggs came from just three farms in Spain, the FSA said.

France had the second-highest contamination rate, which researchers calculated at about one in every 170 boxes.

The FSA said only 10 per cent of eggs sold in Britain were imported. Most eggs from abroad are used in the catering trade, for example in egg sandwiches.

Andrew Wadge, the FSA’s director of food safety, said: “The vast majority of eggs we eat in the UK are salmonella-free. However, this survey shows thatproblems with salmonella in eggs have not gone away.”

He said the European Commission had set targets for reducing salmonella in laying flocks and brought in compulsory vaccination in countries with high contamination rates.

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