The nerve agent used in the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia may have been a liquid that was applied to their clothes, the former commander of the British regiment that specialised in detecting chemical weapons has told the Guardian.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, who was a commander of the now disbanded Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, said such a means of delivery could explain why the Skripals were apparently not affected immediately.

The hunt for clues and the clean-up operation has spread to about 20 sites in Salisbury, across Wiltshire and into the neighbouring county of Dorset. It involves almost 1,000 police officers, military personnel and other emergency services staff.

Public Health England officials will be at the open-air Charter Market in Salisbury on Saturday to speak to people worried about their health or the long-term implications of the attack on the city. Police have said some cordons could remain for months.

De Bretton-Gordon suggested earlier in the week that the nerve agent, a novichok, may have been delivered in a powder form. Having observed how counter-terror police and military were dealing with it and examined the timeline of the day the pair collapsed, de Bretton-Gordon said he believed it was more likely to have been a liquid.

He said: “I think it’s a liquid because of dissemination means. Had [the Skripals] breathed it in, they would have died instantaneously. Therefore it would appear most likely that someone put it on clothing. If they had put it directly on the skin, they would have died in under half an hour.”

The Skripals arrived in Salisbury at 1.45pm. They went to the Mill pub and on to the Zizzi restaurant, arriving there at about 2.20pm and staying until 3.35pm. The emergency services were called at 4.15pm when the Skripals collapsed on a bench next to the river Avon.

De Bretton-Gordon said putting the nerve agent on clothing would mean it would take time to work – perhaps an hour. This would give the perpetrators 60 minutes to get away.

According to de Bretton-Gordon, the military do not have easy access to devices that can detect novichok. He suggested that laboratory equipment was being brought in to try to trace the agent, which might explain why the process is so taking so long.



In Salisbury, investigators in protective clothing examined railings close to the bench where the Skripals collapsed on Friday.

Attention was also focused again on a car recovery business believed to have removed Skripal’s BMW. Part of the industrial estate where Ashley Road Recovery is based was sealed off and two army trucks arrived, apparently ready to take a vehicle – possibly the BMW – away.

Shopkeepers in Salisbury will wait anxiously to see if business picks up over the weekend. Residents and politicians are concerned that the attack could dent the city’s reputation.