The Salisbury home of Sergei Skripal is to be dismantled by the Army who will remove the property's roof as decontamination work continues in the wake of the Novichok attack.

Wiltshire Council has written to neighbours to warn them about the disruption expected by the deep clean, which is expected to take up to four months.

Detectives believe the former Russian spy and his daughter Yulia Skripal first came into contact with the poison when it was sprayed on the door handle of their property in Christie Miller Road in the city.

The clean-up has been taking place ever since they collapsed on March 4, but work paused over Christmas.

The next, more extensive phase of the operation was due to begin on January 7, according to the letter. Dated January 4 and signed by the council's director of public of health, Tracy Daszkiewicz, it told residents that contractors would spend the first month erecting scaffolding to cover the house and garage with a "sealed frame".

A military team will then dismantle and remove the roofs on the two buildings over two weeks.

Everything will be wrapped and sealed before being removed from the site, and then the roofs will be replaced, Ms Daszkiewicz said.