Salisbury bench where Skripals became ill taken as potential exhibit

The park bench where the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, fell critically ill in Salisbury after a nerve agent attack has been removed and will be preserved as a potential crime exhibit.

Officers in protective clothing wrapped the bench in plastic before using an angle grinder and crowbar to cut it free and take it away in a white van.

In a statement, Scotland Yard said: "It [the bench] is being removed – in order to preserve it as a potential crime exhibit as part of the investigation into the attempted murders."

It said that areas searched so far as part of the investigation included open spaces, commercial and residential properties and vehicles.

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A spokesperson said: “This is one of the largest and most complex investigations undertaken by British counter-terrorism policing.

“Searches are ongoing in the Salisbury area and at this stage it is not possible to put a timescale on how long these may take to conclude. Specialist search officers wearing protective equipment continue to carry out a meticulous, systematic search for evidence to support the investigation.

“That search is being carried out based on expert scientific advice to assist detectives in understanding the specific locations that are of most relevance to their lines of inquiry.

Door handles

“Around 250 counter-terrorism detectives continue to work round the clock, supported by a full range of experts and partners.”

The bench, close to the Mill pub and Zizzi restaurant, which the Skripals visited on March 4th before collapsing, has been cordoned off and protected with a tent.

It also emerged on Friday that door handles and computer keyboards were among the items at Sergei Skripal’s home that are being examined by investigators as they work to establish where and how the nerve agent attack took place.

Mr Skripal’s red-brick house in Salisbury remains cordoned off almost three weeks after the 66 year old and his daughter, Yulia (33), collapsed in the city centre.

An investigator was seen at the house with a list headed swabs. It appeared to indicate that spots the Skripals were likely to have touched were being looked at in particular. The front door, patio door and keyboards were all listed.

Counter-terrorism officials have given no details of how the Skripals may have come into contact with the nerve agent, which has been identified as Novichok.

There was speculation it could have been placed on the door handles of Mr Skripal's BMW or in the car's ventilation system. Another suggestion is that Yulia, who arrived in the UK on a flight from Russia the day before she and her father collapsed, may have brought it into the country. – Guardian