OVER two years after Wiltshire Air Ambulance flew to the aid of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, exposing pilots and paramedics to the deadly nerve agent Novichok, the charity which runs it is still waiting to receive compensation for the costs which followed.

After the Novichok attack in Salisbury, and the second poisoning in Amesbury which killed local woman Dawn Sturgess, it cost the charity over £100,000 to decontaminate the helicopter and protect crews from possible contamination. It was promised the government would bear the cost - but is still waiting for a payout.

Now chief executive David Philpot has spoken out, angry at the delay and promising that Wiltshire Air Ambulance will not allow the issue to be forgotton.

Mr Philpott said he thought people in Wiltshire who support the charity, many of whom will have watched last night's BBC drama The Salisbury Poisonings and be eagerly awaiting tonight's episode, should know about the delay.

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 the Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland, wrote to the Home Secretary in support of this claim but to date the charity has heard nothing.