'Unnerving': Salisbury station guard reflects on close contact with Russian novichok attack suspects

A train guard, who was pictured inches away from two Russian nationals accused of the Salisbury chemical weapons attack on the day it happened, told ITV News seeing the image was "unnerving".

Walter Tanner - a station guard at Salisbury station - can be seen in CCTV images released by the police showing Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov making their way through the station on March 4.

Less than an hour later, the two Russians are believed to have sprayed the nerve agent novichok on the front door of Sergei Skripal's house, leading to the poisoning of him and his daughter.

The suspects walk past Mr Tanner on the day the chemical weapon was used Credit: Met Police
Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov's mission was partly captured on CCTV Credit: Met Police

Asked how he felt about having been in such close proximity to two men suspected of attempted murder with a chemical weapon, Mr Tanner said: "I don't really know. I'm blank. They didn't cause me any trouble. It's a bit unnerving I suppose, being so close. But I'm okay."

Mr Tanner said he didn't remember seeing the two men on that day, and did not recognise them.

Theresa May today told the Commons the two men named as suspects are officers from the Russian military intelligence service, also known as the GRU.

The Prime Minister added the operation would have "almost certainly" been approved at "a senior level of the Russian state".

While as of today the attempted murder of Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia failed, with the two now out of hospital, two members of the public fell ill fromexposure to the same substance later in the year.

Dawn Sturgess and her partner Charlie Rowley fell ill at his home in Amesbury, near Salisbury, on June 30.

Ms Sturgess subsequently died, while Charlie Rowley told ITV News on Tuesday he hopes to get out of hospital in "the next two or three weeks".