A 73-year-old woman was arrested over a “harmful substance” after a woman approached several customers with “a plastic bag”.
A woman was taken to hospital with “breathing difficulties” as several people fell ill following the alleged attack in Bath at 2.30pm yesterday.
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Avon and Somerset Police were contacted at 3.08pm and a cordon was set up on Stall Street, close to the famous Roman Baths in the city centre.
The ambulance service initially said it had taken two people to hospital, but in the end only one woman was taken after experiencing breathing difficulties and itchy eyes.
The woman was examined and released later that night.
The cordon was lifted shortly before 8pm after checking the area.
No traces of any chemical or dangerous substances were found.
Officers combed CCTV to identify the person carrying the plastic bag.
A 73-year-old woman was later arrested on suspicion of administering an unknown harmful substance.
One witness said he saw members of the public being treated at the scene.
They said: “They dressed a woman in blue canvas sheets and appeared to have hosed her down.
“She must have been told to take off her clothes as she came out wearing a large orange suit covering her body.
“Then she was taken to the ambulance escorted by what I think was a paramedic wearing a full hazmat suit with breathing apparatus.”
Online users have also been speculating about the incident, with one person writing: “I wonder what’s going on in #Bath right now. I heard 6 police cars passing by on their way to the incident.”
Chief Inspector Scott Hill, from the Bath Neighborhood Policing Team, said: “We would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding as we dealt with an incident in Bath yesterday.
“Public safety is always our top priority and we implemented well-rehearsed plans to ensure this isolated incident was resolved as quickly and effectively as possible.
“All emergency services have a duty of care to their staff and so the decision was made to wear protective clothing whilst there was uncertainty about what we were dealing with.
“Further investigation will be needed to fully understand what made some people feel unwell, but to help us progress this work we have made an arrest as we seek to establish whether any crime has been committed.
“We can confirm that thorough testing was carried out in the surrounding public area before the cordon was lifted, which confirmed that there were no traces of any chemical substances.
“We are aware that there was speculation on social media about this yesterday and we hope that confirmation of this will provide reassurance to the public.
“We are not aware that there is any increased risk to the public, but officers will be on patrol in the city center today if anyone wishes to speak to us directly to raise any concerns they may have.”
Residents living near the site said they were shaken by the incident.
Employees at the hot sausage company’s stand were told to drop everything and evacuate immediately.
Christian Watson, 46, owner of the stall, returned when the cordon was lifted to clean the equipment.
He said: “They had to leave very quickly.
“There were sausages left, but they’re a little cold and shriveled now.”
A police cordon was put in place covering Cheap Street, Stall Street, Bath Street and Abbey Churchyard.
Workers with a high-pressure hose were later seen washing down the secret area of The Pump Room.
Sandra Marten, 70, who lives in a flat overlooking the scene, said: “It’s scary and absolutely terrible. The world is turning into a war zone. Nobody wants to leave the house. I’m thinking I need cameras.
“People do these things and run away. It seems like a repeat of what happened in Salisbury years ago.”
Another resident, David Fielder, 52, said: “It’s very worrying. But I don’t agree with over-policing. I try not to be afraid of unstoppable things.”
Witnesses said some members of the public were stripped of all clothing, placed in hazmat suits and placed in the back of ambulances.
According to local residents, there were more than 20 emergency vehicles present – including 14 ambulance vehicles.
Anyone with information should contact police on 101.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
