The home where a retired Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned has now been purchased five years after the nerve agent was discovered.

Refurbishment work on the property in Christie Miller Road is due to start soon. 

It is believed that Russian intelligence officers had been ordered to attack Sergei Skripal following his jail sentence in Russia on March 4, 2018, and that the deadly Novichok nerve agent was sprayed on the front door of the house.

Both Sergei Skripal, 71 and his daughter Yulia, 39 almost died and police officer Nick Bailey was also taken ill following a search of the house.

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Wiltshire Council cabinet member for housing, councillor Phil Alford said: “We are in the process of selling 47 Christie Miller Road to a local resident, with the home being purchased as a shared ownership tenure.

"Work to refurbish the property is due to get underway very soon and will likely be completed in June 2023. At that point, the home will then be reoccupied.

“We’re delighted that this property, located in a lovely area, will once again become a place that someone can call home.

“The community on Christie Miller Road has been through an awful lot over the last few years and we hope this closes a difficult chapter for them and all the residents in that area now have the opportunity to move on with their lives in peace.”