Theresa May is visiting Salisbury on the anniversary of the novichok poisonings and has hailed the “remarkable strength” of the city.

The prime minister visited two shops close to the cathedral and greeted members of the public on the high street, alongside local MP John Glen.

In a statement, Mrs May said the anniversary is an “important milestone” as the city “emerges from the shadow cast by the use of chemical weapons on the streets of our country”.

She said her thoughts were with the victims, along with their friends and families, and they had “shown remarkable strength, resilience and fortitude”.

Mrs May also thanked the emergency services and armed forces who were involved in the clean-up operation, which ended last week.

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were left critically ill after the attack last year.

The house where they were poisoned with the nerve agent novichok was declared safe on Friday, following extensive decontamination.

Susi Mason, the owner of home and gift shop Casa Fina, met Mrs May and said she was “really pleased” the prime minister came to support the city.

She said: “We have had a really tough year and it’s really nice to have a visit that isn’t all about the police cordons – it is to celebrate those of us who are continuing business as usual.”

Mrs Mason warned the prime minister that Salisbury was not back on its feet yet and would need continued support, but reaching the anniversary meant the city could “move forward”.

Twins Anne and Wendy Harrison, 74, who are from Bournemouth but visit Salisbury twice a week, spoke to Mrs May outside Casa Fina.

“We spoke about the good job she is doing, how we like her and she has to take a lot of stick,” Wendy Harrison said.

The sisters said they were “a little reluctant” to visit the city after the attack and called the incident “disgusting”.

Salisbury officials hope a major advertising push of the city will help boost visitor numbers, after it was reported in December that visitor numbers were down 12% for the time of year.

The government has set aside £500,000 to boost the city’s profile following the poisonings.

However, police have admitted they cannot rule out the possibility that another container contaminated with the nerve agent could be found.

Four months after the initial attack, mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess died from novichok poisoning after her partner Charlie Rowley found a contaminated bottle discarded by the perpetrators, believing it to be a perfume bottle.

Mr Rowley is recovering from the chemical attack.

Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police, Kier Pritchard, said: “I would like to say to you I am 100% confident. We have had no further reports of any concern or illness, so I can only be as confident as to say that presents a positive picture but the impact, the concerns and the deep seated worries of people are still there.

“But we need to look at one year on, this county, the partners, the support we had has enabled this story to get to a position where we can look to the future and this is how we return with our partners to a position of complete normality and this just becomes part of the history book of this area.”

Source: Read Full Article