Amesbury incident - live updates: Couple in critical condition in Wiltshire have been poisoned, say reports
Follow the latest updates after 'major incident' declared in Wiltshire town four months after Salisbury attack
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world
Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email
A couple are fighting for their lives after being “poisoned” by an unknown substance that is undergoing testing at the Porton Down defence laboratory.
A major incident has been declared after Charlie Rowley, 45, and Dawn Sturgess, 44, were taken ill in Amesbury following exposure to the substance on Saturday.
Counterterror police have joined the investigation “because of the circumstances surrounding the incident” and the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in nearby Salisbury in March.
The couple remain in a critical condition in Salisbury District Hospital but Public Health England said there was not believed to be a significant health risk to the wider public.
Wiltshire Police said they were initially feared to have used contaminated heroin or crack cocaine but further testing is ongoing and investigators are keeping “an open mind”.
Downing Street said the prime minister was being given updates on the situation. The incident will be discussed at a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday evening.
Please allow a moment for the live blog to load
The flat where the couple were found unconscious, in Muggleton Road, Amesbury, is one of several sites in the town and nearby Salisbury that have been cordoned off by police.
Nearby resident Chloe Edwards described seeing police cars, fire engines and people in “green suits” on Saturday night.
“We were just eating our dinner and all these emergency vehicles turned up,” the 17-year-old student said.
“They were putting on these green suits and we thought it was the gas as our electricity was turned off as well.”
Ms Edwards said the vehicles arrived at about 7pm and she and her family were told to stay inside their home until about 10pm.
“We wanted to know what happened and with the Russian attack happening not long ago, and we just assumed the worst,” she added.
“I am not sure how long they were in there but we couldn’t get out of the house for two-and-a-half hours.”
She added that firemen had connected a hosepipe to the water mains – a procedure that is commonly used for decontamination.
The incident comes almost four months after former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were attacked with a military-grade nerve agent in Salisbury.
The pair have since left hospital and are recovering in secret locations amid an ongoing diplomatic row between the UK and Russia, which has denied any involvement.
Police have not confirmed any link to the patients in Amesbury and they have not yet been identified.
Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok
Show all 40It is believed that one of the last places the couple were seen in public was a family fun day at Amesbury Baptist Church, which has since been cordoned off, on Saturday afternoon.
Roy Collins, church secretary, said: ”Last weekend we held a community fundraiser and we understand this may well be the last event this couple went to in public.
“We are all quite puzzled and shocked – naturally the connection with Salisbury and recent events there mean there is a heightened public interest.
“We are praying for the couple, one of our members knows them and clearly there are concerns for them and any others in the community.
“They are not church members or regulars.”
Mr Collins said around 200 people attended the event, including many families and children, but “nobody else has suffered any ill effects”.
Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills confirms that locations cordoned off around Amesbury and Salisbury were frequented by the two patients before they fell ill.
"At this time, no one else is receiving treatment as a result of this incident," he adds. "Our priority is understanding the circumstances that led to these people falling ill."
The following locations have been cordoned off "as a precautionary measure."
• Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury
• A property at John Baker House, Rolleston Street, Salisbury
• A property on Muggleton Road, Amesbury
• Boots the Chemist, Stonehenge Walk, Amesbury
• Amesbury Baptist Centre on Butterfield Drive, Amesbury
"The public can expect to see an increased police presence at these locations and in and around the Amesbury and Salisbury areas," the Deputy Chief Constable said.
"We continue to work closely with experts from Public Health England who emphasise that, based on the number of casualties affected, it is not believed that there is a significant health risk to the wider public."
Police have set up dedicated freephone numbers for members of the public who have concerns to call = 0800 092 0410 or 0207 158 0124 - which will be available from 8am to 8pm daily.
"I would like to appeal to anyone who might have information concerning the circumstances surrounding this incident to come forward," Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills said.
Investigators will be subjecting blood, hair and urine samples from Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess to extensive laboratory testing as they look to establish what caused them to fall critically ill, according to chemical weapons expert Jerry Smith.
The former inspector with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons told Sky News:
Because of the sensitivities, because of the recent past, I would suggest they will be making sure they're absolutely certain because clearly if you look at some of the scenarios that could fold out from this, some of them are pretty serious and so they'll want to make sure they're absolutely spot on, which I have no doubt that they will be.
Asked if it was possible that the couple could have been exposed to remnants of the novichok nerve agent that poisoned Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal, Mr Smith added:
That is one of the scenarios. It is very early days yet and it wouldn't be great to start jumping the gun here. There's clearly some potential narratives that could end up being something associated with the Skripal case, but it could just be something that would be a byline in the news if it was any other city.
Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess, the couple critically ill in Wiltshire, may have been contaminated by residues of the nerve agent used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal, according to security and defence sources.
The Independent's Kim Sengupta and Lizzie Dearden have more details:
We're closing our live coverage of the Amesbury incident for tonight. Thanks for reading.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments