Decontamination of Salisbury pub and restaurant could take months

A pub and restaurant visited by a Russian spy and his daughter who were poisoned by a nerve agent in Salisbury will form part of a clean-up effort that could take months.

A public meeting last night heard that the nerve agent could still be present at "hotspots" around the city, with nine areas singled out for decontamination.

Officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as well as the local council, police and health representatives, spoke to residents of the city, the BBC reports.

A Zizzi restaurant and the Mill Pub were both visited by Sergei and Yulia Skripal on 4 March before they were found unconscious on a park bench.

It has since been confirmed that the pair were poisoned by a military-grade Novichok nerve agent.

The nerve agent does not disappear over time and intense cleaning with caustic chemicals will be required, a process that officials said could extend to months.

Work has already started installing robust hoardings at the restaurant and pub.

Salisbury police station, council offices, two ambulances and the homes of police officer Nick Bailey and Sergei Skripal are also among the sites to be cleaned.

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