Medical officer had nightmares about people finding Novichok

At the inquiry on November 12, Dame Sally Davies said she had nightmares about someone picking up the discarded nerve agent Novichok after the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.

Dame Sally told the inquiry on Monday that she worried someone would pick up discarded Novichok after the Skripals were poisoned and she discussed messaging around advising people not to pick up something they did not drop and thought she had said it publicly, but can find no evidence of that.

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She said: “I had nightmares that someone would pick up some discarded stuff and I worried about this.

“Once we knew that there had been Russian involvement, that unless they were stupid, they would not cork it up, put it in their pocket and take it home, that therefore there was a risk that it had been discarded. 

“I remember worrying about it from the moment I knew that Russian agents had been involved, whenever that first was.”

'I remember worrying about it from the moment I knew that Russian agents had been involved' (Image: Tom Gregory)

In her witness statement, read to the inquiry by Francesca Whitelaw KC, counsel to the inquiry, Dame Sally said: “After the point at which we learned we were dealing with Novichok from Russia (Tuesday, March 6), I recall that I was concerned about the disposal by the foreign agents of any residual nerve agent.

“I remember raising this during at least one meeting and becoming reassured, one that the police were hunting for a discarded vial including by the river in Salisbury where drug syringes etc were thrown and two, that the Environment Agency would monitor the unusual numbers of dead fish appearing in the river.

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“This led to me later saying publicly that no one should pick anything up which they had not dropped.”

In the statement, she added that she attended a meeting where there was discussion as to whether she could give this message publicly, and there was “concern” that making such a statement would “panic the public”.

Dame Sally said the discussion ended with the agreement that she was independent and experienced and could say what she felt mattered, but she added that the only record of her making this statement is her own statement in September when she referred to advice she gave in March.

Asked by Ms Whitelaw if it was possible she raised the suggestion of a “don’t pick up” message but it was not stated as it could cause panic, Dame Sally said: “It may be, yes, but I don’t remember anyone muzzling me if that’s what you’re asking.”

Jesse Nicholls, counsel for Ms Sturgess’s family, suggested Dame Sally was saying she had given the advice publicly in the March “because that obviously should have happened but it didn’t”, to which she replied: “No, you are trying to suggest there was a cover-up, there was no cover-up.”

The inquiry continues.