All other related sites released for cleanup but no suspects yet identified, ministers told

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Detectives are continuing to carry out investigative work on the house of the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal more than two months after the nerve agent attack on him and his daughter, Yulia.

All other sites related to the attack in Salisbury have been released by the police for decontamination to take place, a cabinet meeting was told on Tuesday.

Theresa May and senior ministers were informed that more than 400 police officers, including 250 counter-terrorism specialists, had been involved in the inquiry into the 4 March poisoning.

But there was no indication from the meeting that the operation was any nearer to pinpointing who carried out the attack. Last week, the UK’s national security adviser, Sir Mark Sedwill, said no individual or group had yet been identified.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “The police have now released all the sites for decontamination, except for the Skripal house.

“Cleanup work is well under way and the priority is making the sites safe so they can be returned to use and Salisbury can get back to normal.

“More than 250 officers from across the counter-terrorism policing network have been deployed, alongside more than 160 officers from Wiltshire police and a range of experts and partners.

“Officers continue to trawl through more than 5,000 hours of CCTV and examine more than 1,350 exhibits that have been seized. About 500 witnesses have been identified and hundreds of statements have been taken.”

The spokesman said a range of government support was being provided to help Salisbury get back to normal, including grant funding for businesses and support for tourism initiatives.

“Cabinet praised the resilience of the residents of Salisbury in the face of widespread disruption caused by Russia’s reckless actions,” the spokesman added. “The city is safe and it is open for business.”

At a public meeting in Salisbury last month, government scientists warned that the residue of the novichok nerve agent used in the attempted murder could still be as potent as when it was deployed.

Sites that have been released for decontamination work include the pub and restaurant the Skripals visited before they collapsed, and a section of the park where they fell ill.



Skripal, a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who spied for MI6, is in hospital after being exposed to the nerve agent smeared on the doorknob of his home. Yulia Skripal, who was also exposed to the chemical, has been treated and released from hospital.