Mark Flannigan had his whole life in front of him and was just about to celebrate his 31st birthday.

Mark Flannigan had his whole life in front of him and was just about to celebrate his 31st birthday.

But it was cruelly cut short when a simple earache turned into a deadly infection … which took over his body and quickly killed him.

He thought nothing of the problem when he initially complained of the pain in his ear over a weekend and believed it would be fine to wait until Monday when he would see his doctor.

But those fateful days turned to tragedy and he died in Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.

Now his family has sent out a warning message to people to ensure they look out for all potential meningitis symptoms … even a simple earache.

This case is the fifth meningitis scare to hit the town. Over the New Year period, three toddlers, Ellie Parsons, Rhianna Warner and Kyron Vince, died from the suspected brain infection. It later emerged Kyron died from other complications. A fourth person, an adult from the town, died from meningitis just weeks later while abroad on holiday. According to health officials, none of the cases were linked.

- Read the full story in tonight's Evening Star.