LONDON (Reuters) - A police officer involved in the search for a suspected poisoned container that left two people in critical condition in the southwestern English town of Amesbury has been given the all clear after going to hospital for a precautionary health check, police said on Saturday.

The officer was tested for possible exposure to the Novichok nerve agent which struck down Dawn Sturgess, 44 and her partner Charlie Rowley, 45, in the town last Saturday.

“Pleased to confirm that the PC who sought precautionary medical advice at Salisbury District Hospital in connection with the incident in Amesbury has been assessed & given the all clear,” local police said in a Tweet.

Detectives are linking the Amesbury poisoning with a similar incident involving Novichok in nearby Salisbury in March when former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned.

A local policeman, Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, fell seriously ill in that incident but later recovered, along with the Skripals.

Salisbury District Hospital said in a statement it had seen a number of members of the public who had attended with health concerns since the latest poisoning but none had needed treatment.

Counter terrorism officers have said they are searching for some form of container which was contaminated with Novichok and which the latest pair are thought to have handled.

Britain blamed Russia for the March poisoning but the Kremlin denied any involvement.