Wiltshire Air Ambulance says it is still waiting to receive compensation for the costs incurred by the charity when responding to the Novichok attacks in Salisbury and Amesbury in 2018.

The charity, which has an air base in Semington, says it incurred more than £100,000 in costs and has yet to receive compensation from the government.

The statement from the air ambulance comes after the airing of the first episode of The Salisbury Poisonings - a three-part drama series on BBC One about the nerve agent poisonings.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance chief executive David Philpott, pictured below, said: “Obviously, we appreciate the government has had a lot to deal with in recent months as it has battled to get coronavirus under control. The last thing we have wanted to do is add to their problems, but the broadcast of this TV drama has brought the matter into sharp focus for many of our trustees, staff and volunteers."

Salisbury Journal:

He added: “You cannot expect medics to put themselves in harm’s way, as ours did, and then simply forget about them and the costs our organisation has borne. Wiltshire Air Ambulance is a charity that relies entirely on donations and yet is the only emergency service not to have been compensated by the government for its losses.

“We are pleased that the Department of Health and Social Care recently announced a £6 million COVID-19 grant to be shared by all 21 air ambulance charities, although we are still unsure how much we will receive from this grant. However, I think it is very unfortunate that the Salisbury compensation matter seems to have been ignored, despite the support from all of our local MPs, and we will not give up this matter lightly.”

In February, all seven Wiltshire MPs, wrote to the Home Secretary in support of this claim but to date the charity say it has heard nothing.

The Department of Health and Social Care says that Wiltshire Air Ambulance is asking for costs to be met for counselling that was provided to its staff and the sum being requested is in the region of £100,000, but a detailed breakdown and evidence of costs has not been provided.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “The Department reimbursed South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust for ambulances and rapid response vehicles that had to be destroyed following potential contamination with the Novichok nerve agent.

“We did not cover costs for counselling or personal belongings for the Trust or for Salisbury Hospital, nor were we asked to.”