Summary

  • Three people have been found dead after an incident at a Dorset care home, police say

  • The deaths at the Swanage home are being treated as "unexplained"

  • Four other people have been taken to hospital as a "precaution"

  • The other residents of Gainsborough Care Home have been evacuated to a nearby church

  • Police, fire and ambulance crews are attending - as well as gas company Southern Gas Networks (SGN)

  • A local councillor says there is a "suspicion" the deaths "could be attributable to carbon monoxide but it has not been proven"

  1. Pictures show multiple emergency service vehicles on scene and wellbeing tentpublished at 11:58 British Summer Time 23 October

    Emergency vehicles, including fire, ambulance and police, have been seen on and around Ulwell Road in Swanage. A welfare tent can also be seen as well as emergency services workers.

    A residential road with a fire engine parked on the left, a white car parked on the right next to a red marquee and ambulance cars in the background
    A residential road shows ambulance vehicles and police lining either sides of the road
    A police road closed sign with two cones blocks off an entrance to Ulwell Road
  2. Two patients taken to hospitalpublished at 11:53 British Summer Time 23 October

    A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said: “We were called at 05:20hrs on Wednesday 23 October to an incident at a care home in Swanage.

    "We sent a Hazardous Area Response Team, ten double-crewed land ambulances, as well as a significant number of additional resources.

    "Two patients were conveyed by land ambulance to Poole Hospital.”

  3. Fire crews deployed to scenepublished at 11:50 British Summer Time 23 October

    Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service said crews were called to the scene at 07:47 BST.

    Group manager Neil Tidball said: "We currently have four fire crews on scene from Swanage, Wareham, Westbourne, Poole, a support vehicle from Dorchester, along with two crews from Winchester.

    "Firefighters are working with Dorset Police, South West Ambulance Service and other partners to resolve this incident."

  4. Large emergency response to Swanage incidentpublished at 11:10 British Summer Time 23 October

    Police, fire and ambulance crews are dealing with an incident at a care home in Swanage.

    Multiple emergency vehicles are at the scene outside the Gainsborough Care Home in Ulwell Road.

    Southern Gas Networks is also there and the road has been closed.

    Bus services are being diverted.