Wiltshire's Air Ambulance will be back in operation today after being given a clean bill of health after being checked for Novichock contamination.

The airbase in Samington was closed and the air ambulance was grounded for checks on August 1, but will be working as normal today.

Chief Executive of Wiltshire Air Ambulance David Philpott said: “We are of course delighted with this news and I would like to take this opportunity to thank colleagues at Wiltshire Council, Wiltshire Police, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and DSTL for the swift and professional way they have all worked with us during this challenging period.

“It is too early to say if these events have had a detrimental impact on our fundraising but I know how much the people of Wiltshire value our life-saving service so know we can count on them to keep us flying.”

The ambulance provision to the public was unaffected during this period as the charity’s paramedics and doctors remained fully operational providing critical care in Wiltshire by using Rapid Response Cars. The cars have the same specialist medical equipment that is on-board the helicopter.

“We will now continue to work with a range of partner agencies to progress work at other sites in the county which still form part of this ongoing investigation.

“I would like to once again thank the people of Wiltshire for their patience, support and understanding as we continue to work through our multi-agency response to this major incident.”