A recovery truck used to take away the car of a poisoned Russian spy was itself loaded onto an lorry today as the clean-up operation moved into a new county.

The military, police and emergency service operation rolled into Gillingham, Dorset and men in Hazmat suits visited the home of a driver thought to have towed the car of Sergei Skripal.

The recovery truck believed to have removed Mr Skripal's red BMW 320d from a Sainsbury's car park was itself taken away by the Army to be tested, decontaminated and potentially destroyed.

Residents were told to stay indoors as a cordon was put around the street and the truck was covered up and loaded onto the military vehicle.

The Army covered and removed a tow truck believed to have taken Sergei's Skripal car from Salisbury after he was poisoned with a military grade nerve agent

The residential street in Gillingham became the latest location shut down by soldiers in Hazmat suits cleaning up after the chemical weapons attack

People living in the street told of their shock after the huge operation was launched today

Soldiers oversaw the operation after police told local residents to stay indoors this morning

The clean-up operation after the Sergei Skripal descended on Gillingham, Dorset today

Whitehall sources last night suggested Mr Skripal was poisoned when he touched the door handle of his car, which had been smeared with a deadly nerve agent.

Today it was claimed prominent Russians in London are being shown a picture of a couple, thought to be Russian, seen walking in Salisbury around the time Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said today: 'The military is assisting police to remove a number of vehicles and items from areas of Dorset, following the incident in Salisbury.

'The public should not be alarmed and the public health advice remains the same. The military has the expertise and capability to respond to a range of contingencies.

'The Ministry of Defence regularly assists the emergency services and local authorities in the UK. Military assistance will continue as necessary during this investigation.'

The investigation into the poisoning has led to a series of locations around Salisbury being sealed off and decontaminated

An Army recovery truck was seen entering the town. It is understood a car belonging to a tow truck driver who removed Sergei Skripal's BMW from Salisbury was taken away by the military

The tow truck driver's house is the 11th site locked down by emergency services and the Army

Police signs have been put up at the site as the Army attempt to clear up the nerve agent

Police in breathing apparatus visited the depot of the company who towed the car last week

Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said yesterday that Mr Skripal was still in a critical condition in hospital, days after they were found slumped on a bench in the Wiltshire city.

The Met said officers are working round the clock gathering evidence to identify those responsible for the 'attempted murders' and have so far collected 380 items.

The senior officer said investigators' 'prime focus' was how the nerve agent was administered – but warned that the inquiry will take 'many weeks'.

A report in Moscow suggests a grainy picture of the suspected Russian couple aged between 35 and 40 - seemingly in love - has been shown to members of the emigre community.

'The police are saying that they are interested in them because of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal,' reported Rosbalt news outlet, which did not publish the picture.

Salisbury residents rally to raise funds for police officer injured as a result of the nerve agent attack Residents of Salisbury are rallying to raise funds for police officer Nick Bailey (pictured) Residents of Salisbury are rallying to raise funds for police officer Nick Bailey, who suffered injures as a result of the nerve agent attack last week. The Wiltshire Police Detective Sergeant, who joined the force in 2002, is conscious in Salisbury District Hospital following the attempted murder of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. A JustGiving page set up by local mother Katie Doherty has gathered 36 supporters, and nearly £400 so far. The 33-year-old from East Knoyle, said: "I don't know him myself, but I set up the page before his details had been released. 'I just really felt for him and his family. At the end of the day he was just out doing his job looking after our community. I appreciate that police are trained for all sorts of situations but I don't think anyone could have expected this," she said. 'Our emergency services and our local hospital do such a great job looking after us and I just wanted to say thank you." She added that she was aiming to raise £6,000 for the sergeant. At Wiltshire Council's Bourne Hill office, a cake sale took place to raise funds for DS Bailey. Writing on Twitter, Wiltshire Police Superintendent Chris Chammings said: 'Our amazing Wiltshire Council colleagues are running a cake sale for Nick today. This gesture is true testament to how we all get on in Bourne Hill. Thank you so much.' In a statement released after the attack, the force said DS Bailey 'did not consider himself a hero, he states he was merely doing his job'. Advertisement

The poisoning of Yulia, left, and her father Sergei Skripal, right, sparked a huge investigation and clean-up operation

The police investigation into the poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal is believed to be focusing on his red BMW. It is pictured when it was recovered by police last week

Detectives are reportedly showing a CCTV of a couple in Salisbury to Russians in London. It is unclear what the image is, but a description of it matches this image which emerged last week

A source in London who claimed to have spoken to Scotland Yard detectives was reported as telling Rosbalt: 'The photo made from a surveillance camera is not the best quality.

'There is a man with dark hair on it and a blonde woman. They look around 35-to-40. They are in the street seemingly like a couple in love. Their faces cannot be seen clearly.'

CCTV which emerged in the days after the poisoning showed a blonde woman and an older man walking past a gym in Salisbury shortly before the Skripals were found collapsed.

It is not clear whether that image - originally thought to be the Skripals - is the one reportedly being shown to Russian Londoners. The Met Police denied the CCTV was being shown to Russians.

Counter-terrorism police have said there was a missing 40 minutes in the whereabouts of the former spy and his daughter Yulia in the car.

They are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the pair in the BMW 3-Series before they arrived at a Sainsbury's car park in Salisbury at around 1.40pm on Sunday, March 4. It is not known what they did, or if they met anyone, during this time.

The latest location closed off is in the town of Gillingham, 30 miles west of Salisbury

Investigators in protective suits in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill after exposure to a nerve agent

Three investigators, heavily protected by suits and gas masks, work in Salisbury park tonight

Police officers in forensics suits and protective masks work near a playground in Salisbury tonight

Detectives said the pair arrived in the city at about 1.40pm but officers want CCTV from 1pm.

Mr Skripal's home is a ten-minute drive from where he parked, raising questions about what they were doing in the meantime.

Speaking at Scotland Yard, Mr Basu said: 'The public are going to continue to see a great deal of police activity in and around the city, including potentially more cordons being erected, but please don't be alarmed.

'It is necessary as part of this major investigation by the counter-terrorism policing network. In truth it may last many weeks.'

The Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner would not identify any potential suspect, saying: 'It's a painstaking operation to identify anyone of interest to this inquiry, and eliminate them or include them, but at this stage we are not declaring a person of interest or a suspect.'

Investigators are also focusing on Mr Skripal's red BMW, registration number HD09 WAO, and appealing for any witnesses who saw the pair in the car between 1pm and 1.45pm on March 4 to come forward.

Officers help each other suit up before heading into a sealed-off area in Salisbury to carry out their work

Two police officers in gas masks and dark suits stand by in a Salisbury park as investigations continue

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia (pictured in Zizzi in 2016) left a trail of nerve agent in the restaurant after their poisoning

World leaders throw their weight behind UK Leaders across the world have pledged to stand 'shoulder to shoulder' with Britain after Theresa May blamed Russia for the poison attack on a former spy on UK soil. Theresa May has held talks with world leaders to lay the groundwork for sanctions if the Kremlin fails to come up with an explanation as to how the nerve agent Novichok was used. She held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron last night who condemned the attack and 'offered his solidarity' with the UK. And Donald Trump - who spoke to Theresa May yesterday - backed Mrs May saying the US 'will condemn Russia' if they agree Moscow is behind the attack. And senior MEP Guy Verhofstadt said: 'We stand shoulder to shoulder with the British people.' Advertisement

Jerry Smith, a former chemical weapons inspector for the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said the Novichok agent was 'very persistent' and could linger for a 'reasonable length of time' as a 'dusty agent'.

Public Health England was criticised for taking six days to tell locals to wash clothes and belongings. A source close to Wiltshire Council said: 'People are being kept in the dark as to long-term effects of whatever they might have come into contact with.'

Residents also expressed concern about the increasing number of cordons springing up at sites previously open to the public.

Mr Basu said this was 'nothing to be alarmed about'. He added that 38 people had been 'seen' by medical staff in relation to the attack. But only the Skripals and Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, among the first on the scene, were in hospital. A fourth person was being monitored at home but has shown no signs of poisoning.

Meanwhile, friends of Miss Skripal in Russia last night accused the British government of a cover-up. Yulia Ni told the Daily Telegraph: 'I need some undeniable proof she is actually alive, because we have suspicions that the truth about Yulia's and her father's conditions are being held from us.'

The Prime Minister told MPs yesterday that the highly dangerous substance used in the attack was a military-grade Novichok nerve agent produced by Russia.

Police at a supermarket car park in Salisbury yesterday, where a ticket machine has been put under a forensic tent

Soldiers in breathing apparatus and chemical warfare uniforms converged on a small village in Wiltshire yesterday. It is believed they removed a recovery van which towed Mr Skripal's car

Police have so far collected 380 exhibits and have been scouring hours of CCTV footage from across the city.

Detailing the timeline leading up to the pair being taken ill, Mr Basu disclosed that Yulia had arrived at Heathrow Airport on a flight from Russia the day before.

The senior officer referred to Mr Skripal as a British national and Yulia as a Russian citizen.

Experts said one theory is that the nerve agent could have been put in the car's ventilation system or dusted on the inside. Only a tiny amount would be needed.

Philip Ingram, a former intelligence and security officer who has studied chemical warfare, said: 'Using the car would explain why both Mr Skripal and his daughter got a dose.

'It is easy to break into a car and put some of the substance in there. This nerve agent Novichok would have taken hours at most to work.'

Branding the attack a 'reckless and despicable act', Mrs May said the substance used was a 'military grade' nerve agent Russia has produced and demanded answers from the Kremlin by midnight tonight

Police and MI5 to look into 14 deaths in Britain US intelligence think are linked to Russian activity The police and MI5 will study allegations a string of deaths on UK soil may be linked to Russia, Amber Rudd announced. The revelation by the Home Secretary follows reports claiming that US intelligence sources suspect as many as 14 people may have been assassinated on British soil by Russia's security services or mafia groups. In each of the cases, including the deaths of prominent Putin critic Boris Berezovsky and whistle-blower Alexander Perepilichnyy, police investigations and inquests found no evidence of foul play. Advertisement

Mrs May said the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, which also left policeman Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey seriously ill, was an 'indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom'.

Chemical warfare experts locked down a Wiltshire village on Monday amid fears that Sergei Skripal's car could contain traces of the nerve agent that's left him fighting for his life.

Army and police vehicles and ambulances rolled into West Winterslow just after lunchtime before investigators in hazardous material suits and gas masks loaded a white transit van onto a flatbed truck. The van's driver was also asked to had over his clothes, it was claimed.

Police also closed off a Sainsbury's car park where it is thought Mr Skripal's car was parked. A parking ticket machine was closed off and a police vehicle was removed from the scene by the Army.

Locations around the town, including a restaurant, a pub Mr Skripal's home, a car recovery yard and the park where the Skripals were found.

Putin has made just one comment on the scandal, saying Britain should 'get to the bottom of it'

Kremlin accuses UK of 'dirty attempt to discredit' Moscow The Kremlin has accused Britain of launching a 'dirty attempt to discredit' Moscow by blaming Russia for the nerve agent attack on spy Sergei Skripal. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted Russia 'is not to blame' for the attack in Salisbury which left the former double agent and daughter Yulia in a critical condition. His department also hit out at Britain's 'baseless accusations', describing them as a 'dirty attempt to discredit' his country. He warned that threats of sanctions 'will not be left without a response'. His comments came after Vladimir Putin smirked after being asked whether Russia was responsible for the poisoning. When asked on camera if Moscow was to blame, the Russian President smiled a little before side-stepping the question. He then told Britain it needed to 'get to the bottom of things there first' before he is willing to comment on the matter. Advertisement

Theresa May has set a deadline of midnight tonight for Moscow to explain whether it was behind the attack or had lost control of its stockpile of the poison.

Failure to provide a 'credible' response would lead her to view the incident as 'an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the United Kingdom', sparking unspecified measures in reprisal.

Mrs May said the government would not accept such an attempt to 'murder innocent civilians on our soil'.

She will decide on a range of sanctions over the next 24 hours after urgent talks with Nato, the United Nations, EU and US.

The Prime Minister will also draw up a secret package of measures against Russia which will never be revealed.

This could include targeting the Kremlin's propaganda machine. Whitehall sources said yesterday they were accelerating their offensive cyber programme and could hit select targets for a specific effect.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd, speaking after a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee, said: 'The investigation is going well. It is detailed and painstaking work with over 250 police officers in the area conducting this work.

'My priority is this incident, the investigation itself, so we get the information as quickly as possible, and also the safety and security of the people in the community, which is why we have such close co-ordination with the Department of Health and Public Health England.

'The Russians have started responding.

'The Prime Minister has been very clear that they have until midnight tonight to satisfy her requests.

'Until then we will wait and see what they have put forward.

'I know that international allies have begun to rally their support and make comments publicly but at the moment what we are doing is awaiting the Russian response before stepping up and responding as the Prime Minister has said we will.'

A police car was loaded up to be removed at the weekend as the Army and emergency services continue the clean-up operation

Soldiers in Hazmat suits yesterday loaded up and removed an ambulance believed to have taken Miss Skripal to hospital

Vil Mirzayanov said the effects of the poison could amount to 'torture' - and claimed that the use of the lethal toxin on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia was a 'brazen attack'.

The chemist hit the headlines in 1992 after alleging in a newspaper article that Russia had been developing a particularly lethal new nerve gas.

Mr Mirzayanov, who was later arrested but now lives in the United States, had worked in a secret laboratory which was developing the Novichok nerve agents.

He said that the toxins were 'for paralysing people', adding: 'It causes you convulsions and you can't breathe and after that you die. If you get enough of a dose of it.

'It's real torture, it's impossible to imagine. Even in low doses the pain can go on for weeks. You cannot imagine the horror, it's so bad.'

Investigators at the graves of Mr Skripal's wife, Liudmila, and his son, Alexander, last week as the investigation expanded

News agency Tass quoted Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying: 'It is a circus show in the British Parliament.

'The conclusion is obvious, it's another political information campaign, based on a provocation.'

Mr Putin dismissed questions about the Skripals when he was confronted during an election campaign visit, telling the BBC: 'Get to the bottom of things there, then we'll discuss this.'

Scientist who created lethal nerve agent Novichok reveals its effects on victims The Russian whistleblower who exposed the country's secret chemical weapons programme has revealed the horrific torturous effect of the Novichok nerve agents on their victims. Vil Mirzayanov described the use of the lethal toxins as a 'brazen' attack by Vladimir Putin, who 'thinks he can use everything to kill enemies'. Mr Mirzayanov says a large dose of Novichok 'paralyses' victims before 'it causes convulsions, you can't breathe and after that you die'. Asked how the nerve agent works, he added: 'It's for paralysing people, it causes you convulsions and you can't breathe and after that you die. If you get enough of a dose of it. 'It's real torture, it's impossible to imagine. Even in low doses the pain can go on for weeks. You cannot imagine the horror, it's so bad.' The Novichok family of nerve agents were secretly developed over two decades at a research facility 50 miles outside the Russian capital. Many times more potent than other better known chemical weapons, Novichok agents can render gas masks and protective equipment useless. Advertisement