ENVIRONMENTAL health chiefs who launched a probe after a York woman discovered a piece of glass in a tub of ice-cream have drawn a blank.

They said the factory where the ice-cream was made had a number of robust systems in place to prevent glass contamination, and no glass of the type found in the ice- cream was kept on the factory site, including the staff canteen.

The Evening Press reported in March how Karen Tweed said she had choked on a piece of glass as she ate a bowl of ice-cream from a tub bought at ASDA's store at Monks Cross, York.

She said she managed to cough up the fragment, but was left with the taste of blood in her throat, and she believed the consequences could have been much worse if the glass had been in another portion from the same tub, eaten earlier on by her two-year-old niece Abbie Martin, of Swinton, near Malton.

Abbie's mother, Jacqui Martin, complained to ASDA, who said it would launch an investigation into how the glass got into the ice-cream, with inquiries going back to the manufacturing plant.

City of York Council also launched an investigation, but a spokeswoman said today the glass was reported as being clear common soda glass with a polished edge, indicating that it was likely to be part of a bowl 15cm in diameter.

"No glass of this description is kept on the manufacturing site, including the staff canteen," she said.

"The manufacturing company has a number of robust systems in place to prevent glass contamination, all of which were found to be in place on the day of production.

"After a full investigation, we are unable to identify the contaminant as originating from the manufacturing site and there have not been any other complaints received.

"Having considered this information, we are not able to take any further action."

ASDA spokesman Ed Watson welcomed the findings, saying: "Like them, we are at a loss as to how the glass got into the ice-cream."

He said ASDA sold hundreds of thousands of tubs of this type of ice-cream a week, and this was the only complaint it had. There were also procedures at store level to prevent contamination.

The company would now be speaking further to the factory, though he stressed both it and ASDA had been given a "clean bill of health".

Mrs Martin said she was not happy with the outcome, but felt she had to accept it.

Updated: 11:16 Monday, May 09, 2005