PASSENGERS on the virus hit cruise liner Aurora were finally allowed to go ashore today in Gibraltar.

Just six passengers are now showing signs of illness on the Southampton based liner, it was revealed today.

Aurora has docked in Gibraltar and public health officials from the island boarded the ship this morning to check on passengers.

The six were asked to remain on board along with another 44 who had shown symptoms of the norovirus on Thursday.

Other passengers were allowed to disembark ending their confinement on the ship.

A P&O spokesman said: "The shipped has docked and the passengers are disembarking, looking forward to a day ashore in Gibraltar."

Meanwhile, authorities in Spain announced this morning that it had closed its border with Gibraltar for fear of the virus spreading.

The Daily Echo reported on Friday that up to 430 passengers aboard the P&O liner had been struck by the norovirus.

Since then, cases of the highly contagious stomach condition, which causes sufferers to be violently ill, had risen to 494 passengers and 17 crew. The ship was refused permission to dock in Greece.

The £200m ship, carrying 1,790 passengers and 841 crew, first left Southampton on October 20 on a 17-day Mediterranean itinerary.

Passengers who have spent up to £5,000 for luxury cruise holidays have told of diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, with the sick confined to cabins and stewards wearing face masks.

P&O cruises managing director David Dingle said today the company suspected the illness had come on to the ship via a passenger who at the time was showing no symptoms of carrying the virus.

He added: "The mood of the passengers on board is good. We have greatly reduced the number of people that have the virus and can safely say we have arrested it.

"The mood is good and upbeat and they are looking forward to their full day in Gibraltar.''

Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, International Travel Litigation Group, who have taken several calls from passengers irate that their holiday has been ruined, has said P&O could be sued for as much as £2.5m.

But P&O said yesterday all but 30 people had now recovered and were showing no symptoms, and that the numbers of new cases was falling.