Villages near Salisbury want Novichok litter-pick ban to end

Public Health England says people in Salisbury and surrounding areas shouldn't pick up litter unless they have dropped it themselves

There have been calls for a ban on litter picking in villages near the site of a fatal Novichok poisoning to be lifted.

People near Salisbury are still being told not to pick up discarded items, three years after the 2018 attack.

Residents and councillors want Public Health England to reconsider its guidance.

"The common feeling is that the risk has passed," said Steve Milton, clerk of Alderbury Parish Council.

Former Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia collapsed in Salisbury after being poisoned on 4 March 2018.

Local residents Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley were also exposed to Novichok in nearby Amesbury and Ms Sturgess later died.

Public Health England (PHE) says that "as a precaution" its advice remains "if you didn't drop it, then don't pick it up."

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia survived the attack in Salisbury on 4 March 2018

A huge police and military operation took over Salisbury following the 2018 attack

Mr Milton said the issue had arisen again as villages were planning clean-ups ahead of entering the Wiltshire Best Kept Village competition.

"We're definitely going ahead. We're five miles away from Salisbury so we think we would be pretty safe and perhaps they need to be a bit more nuanced in that advice," he said.

Wiltshire councillor for Alderbury and Whiteparish, Richard Britton, has asked PHE to "urgently review" its guidance, saying that he felt the risk was "incredibly small".

"After three years you would think that PHE would have got its act together and reconsidered their advice. Having left it so long I think they owe it to residents to sort this out very quickly," he said.

Litter picking will happen in Alderbury said parish council clerk Steve Milton

PHE has said that that while the chances of anything dangerous being found is low, it was important to remember how serious the consequences could be if the chemical was discovered.

A spokesperson said: "The advice remains "if you didn't drop it, then don't pick it up. We are keeping the advice under review and will update it in due course."