Beautiful Russian blonde fell ill in latest Salisbury Novichok scare, says woman who was sitting next to her

A woman who was at a restaurant in Salisbury where two people fell ill prompting a major Novichok scare says police told her they were Russian.

Amanda Worne said she went to Prezzo with a friend and spoke to a woman, who she described as a "beautiful blonde", to ask if she could sit next to her on a sofa.

A major incident was declared when the same woman, aged in her 30s, and a man in his 40s became unwell at the restaurant and were taken to Salisbury District Hospital.

She said that "armageddon" broke out as police and the emergency services responded to the incident in the city's High Street at 6.45pm on Sunday.

Mrs Worne, who uses a wheelchair after being paralysed in a cycling accident, said: "She was really over polite, she said, 'it would be honour and it would be privilege to have you sit with me on the sofa', and she helped me move the table."

The 47-year-old said the woman looked "slightly dishevelled", adding "there was something about her, she wasn't comfortable, she wasn't relaxed, she had a large glass of wine next to her and my friend and I thought she might have been on an afternoon session".

"She was really peculiar, she was stunning but her skirt was a bit skew-whiff, she was a bit stumbling, she didn't look right," she said.

"She kept getting up and down and acting a little unusual, she went up to the toilet and came down hysterical, 'oh my God, we need an ambulance, we need an ambulance, someone help we need an ambulance'."

Mrs Worne said the paramedics arrived quickly and after seeing the couple rushed out and returned with protective clothing.

She continued: "The paramedic, he was grey, the perspiration, you could see he was so apprehensive, he said 'Just get out'.

"For us personally it was very, very frightening, we were told by a police officer there were two Russians showing symptoms of the Novichok virus and we would probably have to go to hospital for blood tests."

She added that she was later given the all-clear.

Roads were cordoned off and police and paramedics wearing protective suits were deployed amid heightened tensions following the deadly Novichok attack in the city.

Wiltshire Police said that because of concerns that the pair had been exposed to an unknown substance "a highly precautionary approach" had been taken but later confirmed that Novichok was not involved and the major incident was stood down.

A spokeswoman said they would not comment on the nationality of the two people and added: "We do not know if it was a medical episode or anything suspicious, we are waiting to hear from the hospital."

The Italian restaurant is a short walk from Queen Elizabeth Gardens, which was until recently closed off after 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess was fatally poisoned by the nerve agent in June.

Also nearby is Zizzi, the Italian restaurant where former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia visited before they were taken ill in March.

Police said Ms Sturgess was killed by the same chemical used in an alleged hit by Russian military intelligence officers on Mr Skripal.