Police investigating novichok poisonings are to take two bins from behind shops in Salisbury to be tested for the nerve agent.

The development comes after counter-terror officers spoke to Amesbury victim Charlie Rowley, who came into contact with the substance on 30 June, about what he remembered before falling ill.

Specialist officers soon began removing the bins at 11am on Thursday. Police said the bins, from a cordoned-off area behind shops in Catherine Street, were to be taken to the Porton Down laboratory for analysis.

Dawn Sturgess, 44, who was with Mr Rowley, 45, when she fell ill, died on 8 July after being exposed to the deadly nerve agent. She is thought to have sprayed it onto her wrists in the belief it was perfume.

Image: Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess were poisoned in Amesbury

Mr Rowley previously said the nerve agent took just 15 minutes to poison his partner after she sprayed the "oily" substance on her wrists.


Ms Sturgess's funeral was held on Monday.

In a statement, police said searches were ongoing at several locations in the Wiltshire area.

They included the Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury, which has been identified as a location where Ms Sturgess and Mr Rowley visited before falling ill.

Rowley: 'I just can't process what happened'

The Metropolitan Police added: "As a highly precautionary measure, the park is subject of an extensive search to ensure that there is nothing of investigative relevance at that location and to provide confidence to the public that it is safe to use the area when it is reopened."

On Tuesday, the town path in Salisbury was reopened to the public and on 20 July Met officers completed their investigations at the John Baker House hostel.

Officers reiterated that "advice from Public Health England remains that the risk to the public is low".

The investigation comes after Sergei Skripal, 67, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia came into contact with the novichok nerve agent and were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury in March.