WILTSHIRE Air Ambulance bosses say the service is still operational, despite one of their cars being taken off the road by army Novichok experts this morning.

The charity’s helicopter is still grounded. A technical issue, believed to be in its tail rotor, has seen it kept out of the skies since Friday, 15 June. Engineers will be back at the airbase early next week.

Army specialists were called to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s Semington base on Friday to collect a rapid response car, used by the charity’s doctors and paramedics.

Earlier this week, the RAF were spotted in a Stratton street wrapping a car believed to belong to a Wiltshire Air Ambulance paramedic called to help couple Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley after they fell ill with Novichok poisoning.

The authorities have described today's seizure of the paramedic car as a precautionary measure.

Wiltshire Police said they had arranged for cars to be taken from both the ambulance base and in Chippenham. They posted on social media: “The public should not be alarmed by this. Those involved in the removal of the vehicle have the necessary training and expertise to carry out a variety of tasks, which includes the safe removal of vehicles.

“We want to make it clear that there is no cordon in place and once the vehicle has been removed, police will leave the scene and it will be open to the public.”

A spokeswoman for Wiltshire Air Ambulance said: “We are still operational with another rapid response vehicle.”