Hazmat suit officers lock down Bath city centre as two people hospitalised after being approached by 'woman with bag'

Fire crews are understood to have stripped down and sprayed affected members of the public before escorting them away from the scene in ambulances following the incident.

Avon and Somerset Police said it had set up a cordon around Bath's Stall Street - though confirmed that there were no further reports of any members of the public feeling unwell.

We are responding to an incident with @swasFT and @AvonFireRescue in #Bath this afternoon.

A cordon is in place as a precaution.

Please see details below.

Updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/A9oriqS9GV

— Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) July 29, 2024

A later police statement confirmed that two people had been taken to hospital "having reported experiencing breathing difficulties and itchy eyes" - with the area still in lockdown.

Several hotspots in the city are understood to have been cordoned off, with images of the Roman Baths and streets around Bath Abbey filled with emergency services circulating on social media.

An eyewitness account of events read: "They took one woman off into some blue tarpaulin sheets and seemed to have hosed her down.

"She must have been told to remove her clothes, as she came out wearing a big orange suit covering her body.

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"Then she was walked to the ambulance escorted by what I think was a paramedic wearing a full hazmat suit with breathing apparatus."

While BristolLive reported that a woman "had approached people near the Roman Baths with a bag containing some kind of harmful substance".

Another witness told the Daily Mail he was "stunned" to see the area cordoned off.

He said: "A very large area outside the Roman Baths was all cordoned off. I saw people in hazmat suits, fire, police and ambulances.

"Some people were stuck in a coffee shop within the restricted area and were not allowed to leave... A large sheet of tarpaulin was covering people involved in the incident."

A police statement confirmed that emergency services had "well-rehearsed plans" in place for such events.

It read: "Emergency services are responding to an incident in Bath. At about 2.30pm a woman approached people with a bag in Stall Street, leading to some individuals then feeling unwell. The ambulance service made us aware at 3.08pm.

"We're not aware of any further reports of people feeling unwell. As a precaution, emergency personnel are wearing protective clothing.

"We are working with SWAST (South Western Ambulance Trust) and Avon Fire and Rescue Service at the scene and have well-rehearsed plans for responding to such incidents."