A woman who makes placenta smoothies for new mothers is under investigation by council health officials in Swindon.

Mothers pay Katherine Beale, 41, to blend their own placentas with fruit and juices, a process thought to deliver numerous health benefits.

Officials at Swindon Borough Council attempted to win court permission to close the business on health grounds earlier this month but were refused.

Beale has now temporarily stopped making the blended drinks while she awaits a visit from officials inspecting hygiene standards.

Beale is understood to make each cocktail from an 8cm section of placenta, which is blitzed with ingredients including bananas, berries and water.

She said: ‘I understand that they have to make sure that all food business are running safely," said Miss Beale, a mother-of-two.

‘I think they have been a bit overzealous in trying to shut me down without doing a full inspection. I believe that I do it safely.

‘There is no eating of anyone else's placenta. It is all quite tightly controlled, stored properly and chilled,’ she said. ‘Everything has to be cleaned and sterilised and there is quite strict hygiene involved.’

A Swindon Borough Council spokeswoman said: ‘We can confirm public protection officers attended court on March 10 seeking a hygiene emergency prohibition order in respect of raw human placenta practices. The order was not granted on this occasion. Our investigations continue and we are therefore unable to comment further at this stage.

‘Whilst the health benefits of this activity are not clear, the processes involved in the production of human placenta for human consumption present a number of potentially serious health risks which explains this action.’