Decontaminate
HUNDREDS of people were urged to wash their clothes last night as it emerged Sergei Skripal may have been poisoned at home and spread the nerve agent during his day out.
I am advising that people who were in Zizzi or The Mill should clean clothes they wore DAME SALLY DAVIES PHE MEDICAL CHIEF ISSUING PRECAUTIONARY ADVICE
Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer at Public Health England, said up to 500 locals could have visited the same sites as the ex-Russian spy last Sunday.
Staff at The Mill pub and Zizzi restaurant in Salisbury, Wilts, have even been told to burn their clothes and discard all work-related items after traces of the nerve agent were discovered.
A Zizzi worker said they were “horrified” at being told they could be at risk and should see a doctor, adding: “We haven’t felt ill but it is worrying, people were understandably upset.”
It is believed full decontamination of the premises could take weeks.
Skripal, 66, and daughter Yulia, 33, are in a critical condition in hospital after being found unconscious on a bench. Det Sgt Nick Bailey, 38, one of the first on the scene, is in a serious condition.
The Prime Minister will chair a National Security Committee meeting this morning to discuss the attack.
Issuing her “precautionary advice”, Dame Sally, 68, said: “We have learnt there has been some trace contamination at Zizzi restaurant and The Mill.
“I am confident this has not harmed the health of anyone. However, some people are concerned that prolonged, long-term exposure to these substances may, over weeks, and particularly months, give rise to health problems.
“I am therefore advising that people who were in Zizzi or The Mill should clean the clothes they wore and the possessions they handled while there.”
They are advised to wipe items such as mobiles, purses and wallets with baby wipes, and to hand-wash jewellery.
The advice came as sources said it is now believed Skripal and Yulia were poisoned at home and could have spread the toxin when they went out.
Traces were found on and around their table at Zizzi, which was removed and destroyed along with other items. It is unclear where the traces were found in The Mill but investigators were scouring the kitchen area yesterday.
One pub worker said: “Skripal and Yulia came in and ordered white wine but didn’t stay for long. I don’t even think they drank their drinks before quickly leaving. The man seemed quite agitated when they left.”
As sections of the cathedral city remain cordoned off, frustrated residents questioned why it took so long for the latest warning to be issued. Maureen Jones, 73, said: “I can’t understand why
it has taken a week. If I was one of the people affected, I would be annoyed to only be told now that I should wash my clothes and possessions.”
A 24-year-old man, who did not want to be named, added: “I had friends who went for a meal in Zizzi last Sunday. They are annoyed they don’t know what they could have come into contact with and are just being told to wash clothes.” Nerve agents typically act within minutes to hours after exposure, with early symptoms including sweating and nausea. However, the agent used on Skripal may have been modified to act more slowly if absorbed into the body via food. That would make it harder to identify the source and when it was administered. Speaking about the danger to residents, Jenny Harries, deputy medical director at PHE, said yesterday: “This is about a very, very small risk of repetitive contact for any traces of contamination.
“In risk terms, one or two days is not what we are concerned about. What we are worrying about is whether there could be an ongoing risk.”
In Salisbury yesterday the military removed vehicles for decontamination. Troops, including Royal Marines, were supported by firefighters, police and medics. Uniformed staff were seen putting on protective suits before numbering at least eight police vehicles and civilian cars with spray-paint. A forklift then lifted the cars on to low-loaders.
Meanwhile, one of the men accused of poisoning Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006 said it was “normal” that the UK authorities suspect Russia of foul play with Skripal.
But Andrei Lugovoi, 52, claimed it was “crazy” to believe President Vladimir Putin had directly ordered the latest assassination attempt.
He said: “I’m not rubbing my hands with glee. I believe he got what he deserved when he was sentenced to prison in Russia for selling secrets.”
Lugovoi, who denies assassinating Litvinenko but is hailed a hero in his country, added: “Russia is tired of being lectured to by the West. What business of yours is it how we run our country?”