caracterdesign/iStock(LONDON) — Decontamination work in the home of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia has resumed with military teams dismantling the property after the pair were exposed to Novichok nerve agent in their home.
Wiltshire Council in Salisbury, England, informed residents that clean-up work on the property will cause disruption for the next four months as military teams remove the house and garage roof from the property, according to a letter reviewed by the Press Association.
“All materials will be wrapped and sealed on site before being removed safely from the premises,” the letter reads. “The priority is to make sure that the two remaining sites affected by the 2018 incidents are thoroughly cleaned and returned to normal use as soon as possible.”
Skripal was a former colonel in GRU, the Russian military intelligence agency, but was then discovered to be a double agent — also working for Britain’s foreign intelligence service, MI6. He was convicted in Russia for treason in 2006.
Last March, Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who was visiting her father in Salisbury, England, fell ill after being exposed to Novichok agent. Detectives believe they were first exposed to the poison after it was sprayed on the door handle of the residence.
Decontamination work has been ongoing in the property since the former spy and his daughter first fell ill on March 5, 2018, but was put on hold during the Christmas season.
Alistair Cunningham, chair of the South Wiltshire Recovery Coordinating Group, told ABC News in a statement that only two residential sites, including Skripal’s home in Salisbury, were still undergoing clean-up, which was paused over the holiday season but resumed on Monday.
“We are in regular contact with the residents and they are aware that the clean-up recommenced yesterday,” Cunningham said. “It has been a thorough and complicated process and while there is still work to be undertaken, the end is in sight, which I’m sure everyone will welcome.”
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