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
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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.
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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.
It 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”.
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of a major incident in Amesbury, where two people are in a critical condition after being exposed to an unknown substance. Police have cordoned off the home where they were found unconscious on Saturday, as well as several other locations in the town and nearby Salisbury.
Chloe Edwards, who lives near the flat where the couple were found unconscious, 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 told the Press Association.
"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.
Justin Doughty, who lives opposite the police cordon, said residents wanted more information from the police about what was happening.
“We don't know to be honest now, because is it linked to Salisbury or is it drug-related?,” he told the Press Association.
“None of us is being told anything by the police and it would be nice to know something.
“We would have thought the police would have been more forthcoming and keep us in the loop.”
Mr Doughty added: “I know the people that live there in passing and they seem alright people.”
Crime scene investigators have been seen at a cordoned-off park in nearby Salisbury.
Police have not confirmed whether the scene is linked to the Amesbury incident, but people living near Queen Elizabeth Gardens said the cordon appeared in the early hours of Wednesday.
Officers surrounded the entire green with police tape, including a children's play park and public toilets.
Salisbury and South Wiltshire MP John Glen has called for calm and asked people to "avoid unnecessary speculation".
He said: "I appreciate that today's news from Amesbury could be unsettling, following so soon after the appalling incident in Salisbury on March 4.
"But at this time we need to let Wiltshire Police and their partners carry out the investigation to find out what has happened.
"It is important that we all remain calm and avoid unnecessary speculation.
"The priority at this time is for the facts to be established quickly and for the police to be allowed to do their job.
"I am closely following events as they unfold and I'm sure I speak for all local agencies in saying that the safety of people in South Wiltshire is the number one priority."
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service have confirmed a decontamination shower was driven 77 miles from Swindon to Amesbury after the couple were found unconscious on Saturday evening.
The shower was not used, according to a tweet by the operational support unit that has since been deleted - most likely because the tweet stated that "the incident wasn't serious" and was at that time thought to be a "drug-related episode".
"It is a standard Haz-mat (hazardous materials) response," a spokesperson for the fire service told the Independent. "We were called in to support the ambulance service as it was feared they could be contaminated."
Defence sources have told reporters at Sky and The Sun that samples of the substance that caused two people to fall ill in Amesbury have been sent to the Porton Down military research facility for testing.
The facility, officially named the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, specialises in chemical and biological weapons and previously identified the substance used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal as novichok.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson declined to comment on the report.
Counter-terrorism officers are working with Wiltshire Police on the Amesbury investigation, it has been confirmed.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "As you would expect, given the recent events in Salisbury, officers from the counter terrorism network are working jointly with colleagues from Wiltshire Police regarding the incident in Amesbury.
"As Wiltshire Police have stated, they are keeping an open mind as to the circumstances surrounding the incident and will update the public as soon and as regularly as possible."
Boots UK have confirmed that one of their branches in Amesbury has been closed as part of the investigation.
The pharmacy chain said in a statement: "We can confirm that one of our stores in Amesbury has closed this morning as a precautionary measure at the request of the police as part of their standard investigation protocol.
"We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause customers and patients, and our team are available to direct patients towards our Salisbury Street store where they will be able to access their prescription medicines."
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