DECONTAMINATION work began at The Maltings in Salisbury this morning.

Staff in military camouflage uniforms and gas masks were seen removing paving bricks and turf around the area of the bench, using a small digger.

The work has been happening behind new fence panels which replaced the police-tape cordon last week.

It follows an announcement last week about plans for the clean-up of the nine potentially affected sites.

Specialist teams will carry out thorough testing to ensure that any residual nerve agent used in the attack is chemically cleaned, or removed and safely destroyed.

The work is being planned and overseen by Defra, based on expert advice from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Public Health England, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Home Office and with support of specialist Ministry of Defence personnel from the Army, Royal Air Force and joint organisations.

In total nine sites, three of which are in the city centre, have been identified as requiring some level of specialist cleaning.

Public Health England have reaffirmed that the risk to the general public is low.

Work to clean each site will involve testing and removing items items which may have been contaminated, chemical cleaning and retesting.

Sites will not be released back into use until test results and the work undertaken has been reviewed and approved by the government’s decontamination science assurance group.

The work is expected to take a number of months, possibly until Christmas at some sites, Defra said.

Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser Ian Boyd said previously: “Our approach is based on the best scientific evidence and advice to ensure decontamination is carried out in a thorough and careful way. Our number one priority is making these sites safe for the public, so they can be returned to use for the people of Salisbury."

Jane Scott, the Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: "Our main concern is to ensure that Salisbury is safe for residents, businesses and visitors and that the city can focus on the future, its recovery and that it will go from strength to strength.”