SALISBURY - British Prime
Minister Theresa May visited Salisbury on Thursday, the elegant
cathedral city which became the unlikely backdrop to a chemical
attack against a Russian former double agent this month.
Dominated by its 13th Century cathedral with England's
highest spire, Salisbury has witnessed dramatic scenes since the
attack as soldiers in chemical suits and gas masks conduct
forensic searches.
Dozens of passersby and schoolchildren crowded outside the
city's Guildhall to get a view of May as she met emergency
service workers, police and local politicians.
Most locals who have spoken to reporters have welcomed her
tough stance against Russia in the affair but some worry about
the effect on tourism and possible lingering health dangers.
Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found
unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre on March 4
after being exposed to what the British authorities have
identified as a military-grade, Soviet era Novichok nerve agent.
They remain critically ill in hospital.
The pair had visited a pizzeria and a pub before collapsing
and although officials have said there is no public health
danger, they have advised anyone who was in the vicinity to wash
their clothes and clean all jewellery, mobile phones and
spectacles with antiseptic wipes.
"I don't think these things can ever be investigated
quickly, but there's sort of mixed messages," said Tommy
Roberts, 50, who runs a nearby bar and hotel.
"First there is no risk to the public health, then there's a
little bit, then it's 'make sure you wash everything'."
FALLING TRADE
Several local traders have noticed a drop in custom since
the incident and May made a point of meeting some of them.
She visited a small clothes boutique, speaking to shop owner
Sarah Haydon, who welcomed her arrival.
"We just need people to come back to the city," Haydon told
reporters after May had left. "I love the city and we should
promote that the city is fine."
May has blamed President Vladimir Putin for the attack and
on Wednesday announced Britain would expel 23 Russian diplomats
she said were intelligence agents. Russia denies any
involvement.
"I was surprised at how tough she's been. I though she might
pussyfoot around, but she hasn't," said Samantha Smith, 22 who
works for a product design firm in Salisbury.
May said her visit was to thank emergency and health
services and reassure the public about their safety.
"It's been great to meet some tourists here in Salisbury,
people coming to Salisbury, still enjoying this great city," she
said.
Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russia's GRU military
intelligence service, betrayed dozens of Russian spies to
British intelligence before he was arrested in Moscow in 2004.
He was given a lengthy jail term in 2006 but was released
four years later as part of a swap for 10 Russian spies caught
in the United States.
Since arriving in Britain, he had lived modestly in
Salisbury, keeping out of the spotlight until earlier this
month.