NERVE agent decontamination work at DS Bailey’s home and Salisbury’s Zizzi restaurant is almost complete and they will be handed back to owners “imminently”, say Wiltshire Council.

The move into recovery at all former cordoned-off sites signals the end of police presence at the locations, which are no longer needed for evidential purposes.

Speaking at last night's Amesbury Area Board meeting in Figheldean, Alistair Cunningham, chairman of the South Wiltshire Recovery Coordinating Group, said: “All sites are in recovery, and the clean-up is into the final stages at Zizzi, and is almost complete, with the hand-back to the owners imminent.

It comes more than 6 months after the Italian restaurant was closed after the major incident in March.

Mr Cunningham added: "The clean-up is also almost complete at the home of DS Bailey, which will also be handed back soon".

The decontamination work is also now underway at the Boots chemist in Amesbury, and work at the Amesbury Baptist Church is to "commence soon".

A spokesperson for Zizzi said: "At this point in time we are unable to comment on this as the restaurant has not been handed back to us.”

A government spokesman said sites were still held by Defra and they are working on the clean-up, but are "nearly there".