Zizzi diners told to wash clothing after nerve agent traces found

A public health warning urging hundreds of people who visited a pub and restaurant where the Russian spy Sergei Skripal may have been poisoned to wash their clothes and possessions has triggered concerns about the speed of official responses to the Salisbury incident.

The advice from Public Health England (PHE) released on Sunday morning was aimed at as many as 500 customers who ate at the Zizzi restaurant or were in the Mill pub in the centre of Salisbury last Sunday and Monday.

The precautionary guidance reinforces suspicions that the nerve agent used on Skripal and his daughter a week ago was first administered inside the restaurant. Traces of contamination have reportedly been found on and around the table where the two Russians sat. Some of the furniture and other items are said to have been destroyed to prevent further poisonings.

The government’s national security council (NSC) will meet again on Monday morning to discuss the response to events in Salisbury, amid speculation that Theresa May is facing pressure from some of her ministers to take a tougher line against Russia if it is decided the country is behind the attempted murders.

Downing Street has publicly declined to say what action might be merited, if any, insisting that nothing can be decided while the police investigation is still ongoing.

Source: theguardian