Image caption Det Sgt Nick Bailey said he had been "overwhelmed" by support from the public

A police officer who fell ill after being exposed to the nerve agent used on a Russian ex-spy and his daughter has been discharged from hospital.

Det Sgt Nick Bailey was left seriously ill after responding to the attack on Sergei Skripal, 66, and Yulia Skripal, 33, in Salisbury earlier this month.

The pair remain in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

Det Sgt Bailey said that "normal life for me will probably never be the same" as he also thanked hospital staff.

He said in a statement that there were "no words" to explain how he felt, adding: "It really has been completely surreal".

He added: "I have been so very overwhelmed by the support, cards and messages I have received - everyone has been so incredible."

His wife, Sarah, said: "This has quite simply been the most traumatic event of our lives and it feels like our world has been turned upside down in a really short space of time."

Another police officer who responded to the attack on 4 March is being treated as an outpatient by Salisbury District Hospital, the BBC understands.

Since the incident, nearly 50 other people had sought medical advice from the hospital.

Cara Charles-Barks, chief executive of Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, said medical staff were "working around the clock" to care for the Skripals.

A judge has said it is unclear if the pair, who were found slumped on a shopping centre bench in Salisbury, would fully recover from the nerve agent attack.

Judge David Williams, of the Court of Protection, said their mental capacity may have been compromised to an "unknown" degree.

Image copyright REX/Shutterstock Image caption Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found slumped on a shopping centre bench on 4 March

The court, which hears issues affecting the welfare of sick or vulnerable people, has given doctors permission to take blood samples from the Skripals to send to chemical weapons experts.

A team from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which arrived in the UK earlier this week, will conduct the tests.

Delivering the ruling, Judge Williams said: "Medical tests indicate that their mental capacity might be compromised to an unknown and so far unascertained degree."

He said no-one known to Mr and Ms Skripal had approached the hospital where they were being cared for to "inquire of their welfare".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption May: Russian threat does not respect borders

Meanwhile, EU leaders have agreed it is "highly likely" Russia was behind the attack, after Prime Minister Theresa May appealed to fellow heads of state for unity.

European Council president Donald Tusk said there was "no other plausible explanation" for the incident.

Earlier, Mrs May told a summit in Brussels that the Salisbury attack was "part of a pattern of Russian aggression against Europe" and stressed the need to stand together.</s>The Russian Ambassador in London has sent his well wishes to those directly affected by the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

Alexander Yakovenko welcomed the news that detective sergeant Nick Bailey has been discharged from hospital following his exposure to Novichok on March 4.

Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia remain in a stable but critical condition after they were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury.

Mr Yakovenko said in a tweet: “Glad to know that detective sergeant Nick Bailey has been discharged from hospital. Hoping for recovery of Sergei and Yulia Skirpal, too.”

As he was discharged from hospital on Thursday after his condition improved, DS Bailey said “normal life for me will probably never be the same”.

In a statement read by Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, DS Bailey, said: “People ask me how I am feeling – but there are really no words to explain how I feel right now.

“Surreal is the word that keeps cropping up – and it really has been completely surreal.

“I have been so very overwhelmed by the support, cards and messages I have received – everyone has been so incredible.”

DS Bailey insisted “I am just a normal person with a normal life”, but added: “I recognise that ‘normal’ life for me will probably never be the same.”

His discharge came as a Court of Protection judge gave doctors permission to take blood from the Skripals and provide samples to chemical weapons experts.

Mr Justice Williams said he had been asked to make decisions because Mr and Ms Skripal were unconscious and therefore unable to give their consent to blood samples being taken or tested.

The good wishes of Mr Yakovenko come in the wake of his condemnation of the comments recently made by Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson.

During a press conference at the Russian embassy in London on Thursday, Mr Yakovenko said Mr Johnson’s comparison of Vladimir Putin hosting this summer’s World Cup to Hitler’s 1936 Olympics is an “insult” to the Russian people.

Mr Yakovenko also demanded evidence for Britain’s allegation that Russia was behind the Salisbury attack, saying official statements on the poisoning had been “wild” and the UK had “built its official position on pure assumptions”.

In further developments Theresa May said the European Council is “standing together” on the Salisbury poisoning, as she warned the threat from Russia “respects no borders”.

Mrs May was speaking after winning the backing of EU leaders who accepted the only “plausible explanation” for the poisoning of the Skripals was that Russia was responsible.</s>The Russian Ambassador in London has sent his well wishes to those directly affected by the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

Alexander Yakovenko welcomed the news that detective sergeant Nick Bailey has been discharged from hospital following his exposure to Novichok on March 4.

Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia remain in a stable but critical condition after they were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury.

Mr Yakovenko said in a tweet: “Glad to know that detective sergeant Nick Bailey has been discharged from hospital. Hoping for recovery of Sergei and Yulia Skirpal, too.”

As he was discharged from hospital on Thursday after his condition improved, DS Bailey said “normal life for me will probably never be the same”.

In a statement read by Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, DS Bailey, said: “People ask me how I am feeling – but there are really no words to explain how I feel right now.

“Surreal is the word that keeps cropping up – and it really has been completely surreal.

“I have been so very overwhelmed by the support, cards and messages I have received – everyone has been so incredible.”

DS Bailey insisted “I am just a normal person with a normal life”, but added: “I recognise that ‘normal’ life for me will probably never be the same.”

His discharge came as a Court of Protection judge gave doctors permission to take blood from the Skripals and provide samples to chemical weapons experts.

Mr Justice Williams said he had been asked to make decisions because Mr and Ms Skripal were unconscious and therefore unable to give their consent to blood samples being taken or tested.

The good wishes of Mr Yakovenko come in the wake of his condemnation of the comments recently made by Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson.

During a press conference at the Russian embassy in London on Thursday, Mr Yakovenko said Mr Johnson’s comparison of Vladimir Putin hosting this summer’s World Cup to Hitler’s 1936 Olympics is an “insult” to the Russian people.

Mr Yakovenko also demanded evidence for Britain’s allegation that Russia was behind the Salisbury attack, saying official statements on the poisoning had been “wild” and the UK had “built its official position on pure assumptions”.

In further developments Theresa May said the European Council is “standing together” on the Salisbury poisoning, as she warned the threat from Russia “respects no borders”.

Mrs May was speaking after winning the backing of EU leaders who accepted the only “plausible explanation” for the poisoning of the Skripals was that Russia was responsible.</s>The British police officer who was poisoned by a nerve agent when he tried to help an ex-Russian spy and his daughter was released from the hospital Thursday.

"There are really no words to explain how I feel right now," Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey said in a statement. "Surreal is the word that keeps coming up. ... I'm just a normal person with a normal life."

Bailey was hospitalized for three weeks in the southwestern English city of Salisbury.

The apparent intended target of the poisoning — former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia — are still unconscious and in critical condition.

Bailey rushed to their aid after finding them passed out on a bench near a shopping center on March 4.

Samples of their blood will be tested by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to try to determine exactly what kind of nerve agent was released.

Prime Minsiter Teresa May accused the Kremlin on Thursday of staging a "brazen and reckless attack ... the incident in Salisbury was part of a pattern of Russian aggression against Europe and its near neighbors, from the western Balkans to the Middle East."

Britain has expelled 23 Russian diplomats. Russia denies any involvement and expelled an equal number of British officials from Moscow.</s>The Russian Ambassador in London has sent his well wishes to those directly affected by the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

Alexander Yakovenko welcomed the news that detective sergeant Nick Bailey has been discharged from hospital following his exposure to Novichok on March 4.

Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia remain in a stable but critical condition after they were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury.

Mr Yakovenko said in a tweet: “Glad to know that detective sergeant Nick Bailey has been discharged from hospital. Hoping for recovery of Sergei and Yulia Skirpal, too.”

As he was discharged from hospital on Thursday after his condition improved, DS Bailey said “normal life for me will probably never be the same”.

In a statement read by Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, DS Bailey, said: “People ask me how I am feeling – but there are really no words to explain how I feel right now.

“Surreal is the word that keeps cropping up – and it really has been completely surreal.

“I have been so very overwhelmed by the support, cards and messages I have received – everyone has been so incredible.”

DS Bailey insisted “I am just a normal person with a normal life”, but added: “I recognise that ‘normal’ life for me will probably never be the same.”

His discharge came as a Court of Protection judge gave doctors permission to take blood from the Skripals and provide samples to chemical weapons experts.

Mr Justice Williams said he had been asked to make decisions because Mr and Ms Skripal were unconscious and therefore unable to give their consent to blood samples being taken or tested.

The good wishes of Mr Yakovenko come in the wake of his condemnation of the comments recently made by Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson.

During a press conference at the Russian embassy in London on Thursday, Mr Yakovenko said Mr Johnson’s comparison of Vladimir Putin hosting this summer’s World Cup to Hitler’s 1936 Olympics is an “insult” to the Russian people.

Mr Yakovenko also demanded evidence for Britain’s allegation that Russia was behind the Salisbury attack, saying official statements on the poisoning had been “wild” and the UK had “built its official position on pure assumptions”.

In further developments Theresa May said the European Council is “standing together” on the Salisbury poisoning, as she warned the threat from Russia “respects no borders”.

Mrs May was speaking after winning the backing of EU leaders who accepted the only “plausible explanation” for the poisoning of the Skripals was that Russia was responsible.</s>The police officer poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok is expected to be discharged from hospital shortly.

ITV News understands that Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey is close to being able to leave Salisbury District Hospital where he has been since being struck down by the potentially lethal chemical.

The Wiltshire police officer was initially in a critical condition having come into contact with the chemical weapon while working on the investigation into the targeted attack on the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.</s>Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, the police officer who was poisoned by the Novichok nerve agent while working on the investigation into the targeted attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, has been discharged from hospital. Both Sergei, 66, and 33-year-old Yulia Skripal remain in critical but stable conditions in hospital. In a statement read out by Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, Det Sgt Bailey said his "life will never be the same again" following his exposure to the poison more than two weeks ago. He continued that he has been "overwhelmed" by the support he has received during what has been a "surreal" experience and paid tribute to the "phenomenal" care he had received while in hospital "from the man that cleans the floor to the doctors giving the treatment". Det Sgt Bailey also praised the public, saying their support "has lifted me throughout the last few weeks", especially that shown to other police officers.

Det Sgt Bailey thanked the community, "from the local businesses providing food and hot drinks to the officers standing for endless hours on the cordons, to the members of the public just showing their support for our work - have been quite simply overwhelming to hear about". Det Sgt Bailey's wife, Sarah, also praised the support the family had received in the wake of the incident, and praised her husband as a "hero". "This has quite simply been the most traumatic event of our life and it feels like our world has been turned upside down in a really short space of time," Ms Bailey said in a statement read out by Chief Con Pritchard. "I am so grateful for the support from our immediate family and friends and the police family liaison officers through this last few weeks - I really don't know how I would have coped without them. "I never really realised what the term 'police family' was all about until this incident - but now I really do. "All the messages we have received from the police family have been so heart-warming and have meant so very much to me, I can't put it into words. "Nick doesn't like the term hero, but he has always been a hero to me and our children."

After reading out the statements from the Bailey's, Chief Con Pritchard praised Det Sgt Bailey and said he had been "personally been amazed at Nick's strength and resilience. "He really is a credit to Wiltshire Police and the wider police family." Chief Con Pritchard also praised "the incredible staff at Salisbury District Hospital. "They have done, and continue to do, a truly amazing job under intense national and international focus. "Their dedication and professionalism is simply inspiring." He continued that "our thoughts and prayers equally remain with Sergei and Yulia Skripal and their family".

Finishing the update outside Salisbury General Hospital, Chief Con Pritchard said the "complex investigation" into the attempted murders of the Skripals is "highly likely to take many months". He added that anyone with any information on the attack should contact police on 101. In a tweet, John Glen, the MP for Salisbury said he was "very pleased" to hear that Det Sgt Bailey had been discharged, adding that "everyone in Salisbury owes him a debt of gratitude for the bravery he has shown in the line of duty".

Det Sgt Bailey's discharge came on the same day that a Court of Protection judge gave permission for blood samples to be taken from the Skripals so that tests can be carried out by chemical weapons experts. Meanwhile, at a summit of the European Council, Theresa May pressed the leaders of the other 27 EU member states for a united statement condemning the Russian attack. While back in London, Russia's ambassador Alexander Yakovenko condemned Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's comparison between Vladimir Putin hosting this summer's World Cup with Hitler's 1936 Olympics as an "insult" to the Russian people. Mr Yakovenko said: "The British government is free to make a decision about its participation in the World Cup but nobody has the right to insult the Russian people who defeated Nazism and lost more than 25 million people by comparing our country to Nazi Germany. "That goes beyond common sense and we don’t think British war veterans including those of the Arctic convoys would share this opinion." He added that official statements on the poisoning had been "wild" and the UK had "built its official position on pure assumptions".</s>LONDON (Reuters) - A British police officer, one of the first to respond to the poisoning of a former Russian double agent, was released from hospital on Thursday after more than two weeks of treatment, officials said.

Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey was left seriously ill after taking part in the early response to the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the southern English city of Salisbury on March 4.

“People ask me how I am feeling – but there are really no words to explain how I feel right now,” he said in statement issued by his local force. “Surreal is the word that keeps cropping up - and it really has been completely surreal.”</s>Russian ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko has sent his well wishes to those who were directly affected by the use of a nerve agent in Salisbury.

"Glad to know that detective sergeant Nick Bailey has been discharged from hospital. Hoping for recovery of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, too," he wrote on Twitter.</s>Russian Ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko wishes victims of the Salisbury nerve agent attack - former spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and police detective sergeant Nick Bailey - a "speedy recovery".
Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, wounded when he came to the aid of the poisoned Russian dissidents, is discharged from hospital.