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Nerve agent poisoning inquiry spreads to Swindon as car seized Novichok poisonings: residents warned not to pick up 'foreign objects'
(about 4 hours later)
The investigation into the nerve agent poisoning that has left one woman dead and her partner critically ill has spread to another site, 40 miles from Salisbury. England’s chief medical advisor has ratcheted up warnings to people living in the area where one person died and another was left critically ill through exposure to the nerve agent novichok.
Dame Sally Davies warned parents living in Salisbury and Amesbury to make sure their children did not pick up any objects and also told residents to steer clear of discarded items that could contain liquid or gel.
Police and service personnel are searching for the object, believed to be a container of some sort, that Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley came into contact with before collapsing. Sturgess has died and Rowley remains critically ill.
Detectives are working on the basis that they were exposed to some sort of vessel containing the same batch of novichok used in the attack on the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in March.
Davies said: “I want to emphasise to everyone in the Salisbury and Amesbury area that nobody, adult or child, should pick up any foreign object which could contain liquid or gel, in the interests of their own safety.
“This in practice means do not pick up containers, syringes, needles, cosmetics or similar objects, made of materials such as metal, plastic or glass.
“This is particularly important as families are starting to prepare for their children’s summer holidays and so I am asking that people are extra vigilant. To be clear: do not pick up anything that you haven’t dropped yourself.”
She added: “Life continues in Salisbury and Amesbury and I want to be clear that the overall threat to the public is unchanged and remains low. I also want to highlight that those areas that have been cleaned and released to the public over the past few weeks are safe, and should be used normally. You do not need to seek advice from a health professional unless you are experiencing symptoms.”
The investigation has spread to another site, 40 miles from Salisbury.
A car was seized from a residential street in Swindon on Monday evening after the death of Dawn Sturgess, who fell ill with her partner, Charlie Rowley.A car was seized from a residential street in Swindon on Monday evening after the death of Dawn Sturgess, who fell ill with her partner, Charlie Rowley.
Detectives believe the pair handled a container contaminated by novichok, believed to be from the same batch used in March’s attempted killing of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in March.Detectives believe the pair handled a container contaminated by novichok, believed to be from the same batch used in March’s attempted killing of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in March.
Military personnel wearing gloves and gas masks were seen wrapping a white Audi in plastic, loading it on to a lorry and taking it away.Military personnel wearing gloves and gas masks were seen wrapping a white Audi in plastic, loading it on to a lorry and taking it away.
Wiltshire police said: “We have arranged the transportation of a car from an address in Swindon this evening in relation to the ongoing incident. The public should not be alarmed by this. Those involved have the training and expertise to safely remove the vehicle.” The Audi that was towed away is believed to belong to a paramedic who attended Rowley’s address when he and Sturgess collapsed. It is understood that the paramedic is fit and healthy.
Neighbour Sarah Jones, an RAF corporal, said police had reassured residents that they were not in danger, but added: “I do worry. One of my children plays out. I won’t let her now.”
We have arranged the transportation of a car from an address in Swindon this evening in relation to the on-going incident in #Amesbury. The public should not be alarmed by this. Those involved have the training & expertise to safely remove the vehicle. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/BruH9i06f9We have arranged the transportation of a car from an address in Swindon this evening in relation to the on-going incident in #Amesbury. The public should not be alarmed by this. Those involved have the training & expertise to safely remove the vehicle. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/BruH9i06f9
The force added: “The current advice from Public Health England is that the risk to the public remains low. A dedicated phone line is up and running for anyone who has any concerns or information relating to this incident.”
Sturgess and Rowley fell ill on 30 June at the latter’s home in Amesbury, 32 miles south of Swindon. Police opened a murder investigation after Sturgess died in hospital on Sunday night.Sturgess and Rowley fell ill on 30 June at the latter’s home in Amesbury, 32 miles south of Swindon. Police opened a murder investigation after Sturgess died in hospital on Sunday night.
The car is at least the third vehicle to be seized since then. On Sunday night, service personnel wearing protective gloves and breathing apparatus towed a red van away from a road in Durrington, near Amesbury. It is thought Rowley travelled in the van shortly before collapsing.The car is at least the third vehicle to be seized since then. On Sunday night, service personnel wearing protective gloves and breathing apparatus towed a red van away from a road in Durrington, near Amesbury. It is thought Rowley travelled in the van shortly before collapsing.
A bus the pair caught from Salisbury to Amesbury was also seized and tested at the Porton Down government laboratory but declared clear of novichok.A bus the pair caught from Salisbury to Amesbury was also seized and tested at the Porton Down government laboratory but declared clear of novichok.
The Metropolitan police assistant commissioner, Neil Basu, said on Monday that the substance that led to Sturgess and Rowley falling ill was in a vessel or container when the couple came across it. Sturgess’s family said Dawn’s death had been devastating. “Dawn will always be remembered by us as a gentle soul who was generous to a fault. She would do anything for anybody and those who knew Dawn would know that she would gladly give her last penny to somebody in need.
He said the pair received a high dose of novichok after handling a container which held the nerve agent. It was most likely that the container was linked to the attack on the Skripals four months earlier. “She had the biggest of hearts and she will be dreadfully missed by both her immediate and wider family. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to Charlie and his family and we wish Charlie a speedy recovery.”
Several sites have been cordoned off. The three of most interest are Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury, where the couple spent part of Friday; the Salisbury homeless hostel where Sturgess lived and both visited on Friday; and Rowley’s Amesbury home.
In addition to Sturgess and Rowley, 21 people have been examined by health experts over concerns they could have been exposed to novichok – eight police officers and staff, nine health workers, one paramedic and three members of the public. Wiltshire police said all had been assessed, screened and discharged.
The home secretary, Sajid Javid, chaired a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee on Monday.
He later told MPs in the Commons that Porton Down scientists had been able to recover novichok from the blood of Sturgess and Rowley. It was too small an amount to establish if it was from the same batch used in the March attack, making it more important that investigators find the item that contaminated the British couple, he said. Britain has blamed Moscow for the attack on the Skripals.
The defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, told the Commons: “The simple reality is that Russia has committed an attack on British soil which has seen the death of a British citizen. That is something that I think the world will unite with us in actually condemning.”
SwindonSwindon
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Sergei SkripalSergei Skripal
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