A CHARITY chief is furious over a two-year wait for compensation following the Salisbury poisonings of 2018.

The Wiltshire Air Ambulance flew to the aid of Novichok victims Sergei and Yulia Skripal, exposing pilots and paramedics to the deadly nerve agent. But the charity which runs it is still waiting to be reimbursed by the government for the £100,000-plus costs which followed.

A second poisoning in Amesbury killed local woman Dawn Sturgess.

The bill for decontaminating the charity’s helicopter and protecting its crews ran into six figures and it was promised the government would bear the cost.

Nearly 28 months on – and with BBC drama The Salisbury Poisonings being watched by millions this week – chief executive David Philpott has spoken out.

He warned that Wiltshire Air Ambulance will not allow the issue to be forgotten.

He said: “Obviously, we appreciate the government has had a lot to deal with in recent months as it has battled to get coronavirus under control. 

“The last thing we have wanted to do is add to their problems, but the broadcast of this TV drama has brought the matter into sharp focus for many of our trustees, staff and volunteers.

“You cannot expect medics to put themselves in harm’s way, as ours did, and then simply forget about them and the costs our organisation has borne. 

“Wiltshire Air Ambulance is a charity that relies entirely on donations and yet is the only emergency service not to have been compensated by the government for its losses.

“We are pleased that the Department of Health and Social Care recently announced a £6 million Covid-19 grant to be shared by all 21 air ambulance charities, although we are still unsure how much we will receive from this grant. 

“However, I think it is very unfortunate that the Salisbury compensation matter seems to have been ignored, despite the support from all of our local MPs, and we will not give up this matter lightly.”

In February, all seven Wiltshire MPs, including justice secretary Robert Buckland, wrote to home secretary Priti Patel in support of this claim but to date the charity has heard nothing.