Woman arrested after 'noxious' Bath bag incident

A cordon was in place on Stall St in Bath on Monday afternoon, while the area was checked for dangerous substances

A 73-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of administering an unknown noxious substance, following an incident that left a woman in hospital.

Emergency services were called to Stall St in Bath on Monday, to reports of a woman approaching people with a bag, two of whom then started to feel ill.

A cordon was put in place and emergency workers in all-over protective clothing examined the scene, but no trace of any hazardous substance was found.

A woman who was struggling to breathe and had itchy eyes, was taken to hospital and discharged on Monday evening.

Shops within the cordon closed down for the afternoon.

The cordon was set up shortly after 15:00 BST in Stall St Monday, because of concern over the nature of the substance in the bag, which has yet to be confirmed.

Shops within the cordon, including La Baguette on Stall St, were told to close down for the day.

The cordon was taken down at 20:00 BST, after checks were carried out.

Ch Insp Scott Hill, from the Bath Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We can confirm thorough testing of the surrounding public area was carried out before the cordon was lifted which confirmed there were no traces of any chemical substance.

“We are not aware of there being any increased risk to the public but officers will be on patrol in the city centre today if anyone wishes to speak with us directly to raise any concerns they may have.”

Police inquiries will now continue to establish whether a crime was committed.