Couple who fell ill in Salisbury Prezzo discharged from hospital as police probe mystery circumstances

Pair's illness had sparked fears of another novichok poisoning but police say incident 'not being treated as suspicious'

A couple taken ill at a restaurant in Salisbury, briefly sparking fears of a new novichok poisoning, have been released from hospital amid mystery over what caused them to become unwell.

Russian-born model Anna Shapiro, 30, and her boyfriend Alex King, 42, tested negative for any nerve agent, medics confirmed.

Wiltshire Police said the incident at Prezzo was not being treated as suspicious. The force said officers were continuing to investigate the circumstances.

Lorna Wilkinson, director of nursing at Salisbury District Hospital, said: "Both patients are now medically fit and there is no need for them to be in hospital. While this incident did not involve nerve agents, it was still clearly very stressful for our staff who, once again, demonstrated the very best of the NHS."

Sunday's incident sparked a major emergency response, with police cordoning off parts of Salisbury city centre as officers in protective suits inspected the Italian restaurant.

One witness said the couple who fell ill claimed the couple had been “showing the same symptoms” as Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who were poisoned by alleged Russian state assassins in Salisbury in March.

Speaking to The Sun, Ms Shapiro claimed she too had been targeted by the Kremlin.

But Wiltshire Police confirmed the incident “not being treated as suspicious”.

“Tests have confirmed that the two patients who fell ill in Prezzo restaurant in Salisbury on Sunday evening were not exposed to any kind of nerve agent,” the force said in a statement. “Enquiries into what caused the pair to become unwell are still ongoing,” it added.

The Sun article has since been removed “for legal reasons”, according to a message on the tabloid’s website.

The incident came amid heightened tensions in Salisbury in the wake of the attempted murder of Mr Skripal, a former Russian spy.

In July, Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after being poisoned by novichok contained in a perfume bottle discarded in the city centre.

The bottle had been found by her partner Charlie Rowley in Queen Elizabeth Gardens, a short walk from the Prezzo restaurant.