JUST when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…

Or, if you’re a stranger to these parts, to plan a visit to Salisbury…

Up pops the dear old BBC like that shark from Jaws to bite us with the news that it’s dredging up our Novichok nightmare all over again.

A newly-commissioned drama series will put the city’s annus horribilis firmly back in the public eye.

What unfortunate timing, to put it politely, in a week when our city council leader and MP were pictured in front of a huge billboard in Leicester Square, launching a publicly-funded advertising campaign to win back tourists.

I’m a massive supporter of the Beeb. I believe it’s one of the cornerstones, along with the NHS, of civilised British society.

Yet the announcement of this production feels premature to the point of insensitivity, with poor Dawn Sturgess’s death not even a year away, other victims still struggling to rebuild their lives, and the city’s economy yet to recover.

The producers promise to focus on the “extraordinary heroism” with which ordinary people reacted to the crisis.

BBC2 drama controller Piers Wenger says they will capture residents’ resilience and personal experience in the face of unimaginable horror.

He says the channel prides itself on the “sensitive and considered” way in which it explores such contemporary issues.

I don’t doubt him. But we’re not talking about a documentary here. And the fact remains that this mini-series can only remind the wider public of everything we were hoping they’d forget when they next decide where they fancy a day out.

Meanwhile the promotional campaign for the city, featuring the classic view of the cathedral from Harnham, proudly proclaims the verdict of the Sunday Times that it’s the best place to live in England.

The judges, just like the guy from the BBC, praised our community’s collective spirit and ability to bounce back from disaster.

They described Salisbury as “a divinely attractive and welcoming place”, handy for coast, countryside and London, with some of the best schools in the southwest, a great market and a very strong cultural sector.

All those things are true. But for us ‘resilient residents’, it’s a very selective view.

On the plus side, Salisbury’s brilliant if you want to retire here. It’s awash with developments for the over-55s who can afford them. It’s got an excellent hospital, it’s still got good shops and you don’t have to go somewhere hideous like Southampton or Basingstoke to buy most things you might need.

On the minus side, nobody shows the slightest sign of tackling its choking traffic problems.

And every available acre of the lush green surroundings that make the city so attractive is disappearing fast under identikit housing estates that are barely affordable on local wages.

The meadows in the tourist poster only survive the concrete tide because they’re regularly inundated.

What a funny thing, to have to be grateful for flooding because it’s the best hope of preserving our scenic heritage!

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