BBC’s Ambulance: Man threatens to use nerve agent in Colne

On February 25 police were called to a concern for safety situation at an address on Green Road.

Police said it later turned into a “siege situation” where a man claimed to have a nerve agent, a highly poisonous chemicals that can cause death.

The incident was shown on the latest episode of Ambulance, a show that follows the work of ambulance services around the UK.

Call handler Kayley said: “We have got a bit of an incident it is just unravelling at the moment.

“There is a note gone in advising that the male has a bottle of potassium cyanide.

“He has also said he has a bottle of VX nerve agent and that he has injected himself with 2-PAM atropine (used to treat effects of nerve agents).

Police were called to Green Road in Colne on BBC's Ambulance (Image: BBC)Another call handler said: “The 2-PAM is what is used to treat a nerve agent so he obviously knows about it.

“Police are treating it as a credible threat.”

On the show it was declared a major incident standby meaning 11 ambulance resources were dispatched including ambulances a decontamination special operations response team, hazardous area response teams and advance paramedics.

A police officer on the show said: “There is one guy he has threatened somebody with a knife this evening and put it into the chest so they put it down as an armed robbery.

“Police have gone to arrest him, gone into the house, heard some shots fired. He barricaded himself in the attic.

Police officer testing a potential nerve agent on BBC Ambulance (Image: BBC)

“He opened the door slightly and sprayed something at my shield. We don’t know what it is.”

It was later discovered, after tests, that the man in question did not have access to a nerve agent and the substance sprayed at an officer appeared to be water.

Kayley said: “They don’t have any concerns over nerve agent. It has been stood down on major incident standby.

“There is no credible threat from the nerve agent.

“You never know what you’re walking into and you have to be prepared for that.  We are responsible for the lives of members of the public and that’s what matters

A police spokesperson said “It happened on February 25, 2023, at an address in Green Road, Colne. It was a concern for safety which turned into a siege situation.

“The suspect claimed he had a nerve agent but he was found not to have had.

“It was broadcast last Thursday (September 21) evening on BBC1.”