‘Armageddon’ as Salisbury diners fall ill, but Novichok wasn’t involved

A WOMAN who sat next to one of two people who fell ill at a Salisbury restaurant, prompting a Novichok scare, has said police told her the duo were Russian.

Amanda Worne (47), from Yapton, West Sussex, said that “Armageddon” broke out as the emergency services responded to the incident at Prezzo restaurant in High Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, at 6.45pm on Sunday.

A major incident was declared when a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s became unwell and were taken to Salisbury District Hospital to be assessed.

Roads were cordoned off and police and paramedics wearing protective suits were deployed amid heightened tensions following the recent deadly Novichok poison attack in the city.

Wiltshire Police said that due to concerns that the pair had been exposed to an unknown substance “a highly precautionary approach” had been taken but later confirmed that Novichok was not involved and the major incident was stood down.

Mrs Worne said she had gone to the restaurant with a friend and had asked the woman, who she described as a “beautiful blonde”, if she could sit next to her on a sofa in the restaurant.

She said: “She kept getting up and down and acting a little unusual, she went up to the toilet and came down hysterical (say- ing) ‘Oh my God, we need an ambulance, we need an ambulance, someone help we need an ambulance’.”

Mrs Worne said the paramedics arrived quickly and after seeing the couple rushed out and returned with protective clothing.

She continued: “The paramedic, he was grey, the perspiration, you could see he was so apprehensive, he said ‘Just get out’.”

Mrs Worne said she called 999 to ask where the police were and they arrived shortly afterwards and she added: “The next thing it was all carnage, it was Armageddon, there were sirens, ambulances.”

She said: “For us personally it was very, very frightening. We were told by a police officer there were two Russians showing symptoms of the Novichok virus and we would probably have to go to hospital for blood tests.”

Mrs Worne added that she was later given the all-clear.

She said she could not tell the woman’s nationality from her accent.

A Wiltshire Police spokeswoman said the force would not comment on the nationality of the two people, and added: “We do not know if it was a medical episode or anything suspicious, we are waiting to hear from the hospital.”

Phil Downton, a member of staff at the nearby New Inn, said the diners were brought from the restaurant to the pub until the all-clear was given at about 1am.

He continued: “We weren’t allowed to go near them, they were on one side of the pub and we were told not to go in there just in case of contamination if it was something.”

The Prezzo Italian restaurant is a short walk from Queen Elizabeth Gardens which was until recently closed off after 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess was fatally poisoned by the nerve agent in June.

Also nearby is Zizzi, the Italian restaurant where former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia visited before they were taken ill in March. Police said Ms Sturgess was killed by the same chemical used in an alleged hit by Russian military intelligence officers on Mr Skripal. He and his daughter survived.