MILLIONAIRE Westcountry writer Nicholas Evans has suffered a serious medical reaction after eating highly toxic mushrooms.

The author of The Horse Whisperer, which was tuned into a Hollywood film starring Robert Redford, has been told by doctors he faces a "long-haul" of kidney dialysis treatment.

Mr Evans, who lives with his wife near Totnes in South Devon, picked the mushrooms while walking in woodland with his family in Scotland.

The author was given dialysis to combat the effects of the rare Cortinarius Speciosissimus mushrooms, which can cause kidney failure.

His wife Charlotte, her brother Sir Alastair Gordon Cumming and his wife Louisa, were also admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Mr Evans's spokesman said the full extent of the harm to the 58-year-old writer and his family remains unclear. However it is thought that the prompt medical attention he received may have saved his kidney.

A statement released through Mr Evans' London-based representative AP Watt, said: "They have been given dialysis and other forms of treatment to support their kidney function and have responded well.

"A family friend who visited them this weekend said they were all walking about and were in a cheerful and positive frame of mind. They are all extremely grateful for the rapid and effective intervention provided by the NHS.

"Particularly with this sort of mushroom poisoning, very often people don't realise for quite some time that anything is wrong. It's been the best part of 30 years since there was a poisoning case involving this particular mushroom.

"The specialists at the hospital have done brilliantly, contacting people all over the world who have experience of this.

"They are in good heart, but realise there's going to be a long haul of dialysis before they can see if there are long-term effects on their kidney function."

Mr Evans and his wife, 50, became ill 10 days ago while staying at her brother's 12,000-acre Altyre estate in Moray, North-West Scotland.

They had picked the mushrooms in woodland and cooked and ate them later on, becoming ill the next day.

Toxins in the mushrooms attack the kidneys in particular. Samples have been sent for analysis.

More than 15 million copies of The Horse Whisperer have been sold worldwide. The adaptation, starring Redford and Kristin Scott-Thomas, was released in 1998 and was a box office success.

Mary Gibby, director of science at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, said: "One of the known results of poisoning from this particular species is kidney failure. If treatment is not received early enough, that can obviously result in death.

"It has become more common for people to go foraging in recent years and if they are not sure what mushrooms they have got, they need to get them identified. The basic rule is if in doubt, don't eat it."