Novichok poisoning victim Charlie Rowley is being treated in hospital for meningitis and loss of eyesight, but says he hopes to be discharged in the coming weeks. The 45-year-old said his eyesight had “improved”, but not yet fully restored, and that there was still “a bit of meningitis in the system” after being readmitted to Salisbury District Hospital two weeks ago. He told ITV News he was "feeling positive about the news" he was hearing from doctors and is "hoping to get out of hospital in the next two or three weeks". Mr Rowley and his partner Dawn Sturgess fell ill at his home in Amesbury, near Salisbury, on 30 June, but the mother-of-three died in hospital eight days later having never regained consciousness. It is believed they were exposed to novichok from a perfume bottle discarded by those responsible for the attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The father and daughter were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury city centre in March having been poisoned by the military grade nerve agent. They have since been released from hospital. ✕ UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson on Novichok and 'an increasingly aggressive Russia' On Tuesday evening, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed both incidents in Wiltshire involved novichok. The OPCW said in a statement: "The results of the analysis by the OPCW designated laboratories of environmental and biomedical samples collected by the OPCW team confirm the findings of the United Kingdom relating to the identity of the toxic chemical that intoxicated two individuals in Amesbury and resulted in one fatality. "The toxic chemical compound displays the same toxic properties of a nerve agent. "It is also the same toxic chemical that was found in the biomedical and environmental samples relating to the poisoning of Mr Sergei Skripal, Ms Yulia Skripal, and Mr Nicholas Bailey on March 4 in Salisbury." The attacks have caused an international diplomatic incident, with home secretary Sajid Javid accusing the Russian state of using Britain as a "dumping ground for poison". Russia denies any involvement. Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Show all 40 1 /40 Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Forensic investigators, wearing protective suits, emerge with bagged evidence from the rear of John Baker House in Salisbury, after it was confirmed that two people living in Amesbury had been poisoned with the nerve-agent Novichok. Reuters Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Dawn Sturgess, a mother-of-three from Durrington, died after being exposed to novichok Facebook Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok British police are scouring sections of Salisbury and Amesbury in southwest England, searching for a container feared to be contaminated with traces of the deadly nerve agent Novichok. Reuters Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Officers hope that Charlie Rowley, whose partner Dawn died in hospital, can help them establish how the couple came to be contaminated AFP Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok An investigator in a chemical suit works behind screens erected in Rollestone Street PA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Fire and Rescue Service personel arrive with safety equipment at the site of a housing estate on Muggleton Road, after it was confirmed that two people had been poisoned with the nerve-agent novichok, in Amesbury Reuters Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Forensic investigators at John Baker House Reuters Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Police and military personnel seized a car from a quiet residential street in Swindon as part of their ongoing investigations into the nerve agent incident in Salisbury and Amesbury SWNS Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Emergency workers in military protective suits search the fenced off John Baker House AP Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Reuters Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Forensic investigators at John Baker House Reuters Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Emergency services arrive at John Baker House EPA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Dorset Fire and Rescue Service at the house PA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Tents set up by search teams are seen at the end of Rollestone Street, outside the John Baker House for homeless people in Salisbury. British police are scouring sections of Salisbury and Amesbury in southwest England, searching for a container feared to be contaminated with traces of the deadly nerve agent Novichok. AP Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Dorset Fire and Rescue Service at the house in Muggleton Road PA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Fire and Rescue Service safety equipment Reuters Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Police activity at the house in Muggleton Road PA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Emergency services arrive at John Baker House EPA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Fire and Rescue Service safety equipment PA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok AFP/Getty Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Emergency services arrive at the house in Muggleton Road in Amesbury PA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Members of the emergency services at the house in Muggleton Road PA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Gas masks AFP/Getty Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok PA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Fire and Rescue Service personel prepare safety equipment Reuters Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Police investigators arrive at the site of a housing estate on Muggleton Road Reuters Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok A police officer stands guard behind the housing estate REUTERS Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Police on the scene Getty Images Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok The couple remain in a critical condition at Salisbury District Hospital AFP/Getty Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok In March Russian former spy Sergei Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were poisoned with the Russian-made Novichok in the town of Salisbury. British Prime Minister Theresa May has accused Russia of being behind the attack on the former spy and his daughter, expelling 23 Russian diplomats in retaliation Getty Images Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok British police are cordoning off places the people are known to have visited before falling ill EPA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok British police officers stand outside a residential property in Amesbury AP Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Deputy Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police Paul Mills makes a statement to the press outside The Bowman Centre after Wiltshire Police declared the situation a major incident Getty Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Amesbury Baptist Centre PA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Amesbury resident Sam Hobson, speaks to assembled press outside Amesbury Baptist Centre claiming to be a friend of the man and woman exposed to an unknown substance Getty Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok The pair were found unconscious at an address in Muggleton Road, Amesbury Getty Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Police cordon at Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury. The town is around 10 miles from Salisbury where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in a suspected nerve agent attack PA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Deputy Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police Paul Mills makes a statement Getty Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Police officers stand outside Boots pharmacy, near to the Barcroft Medical Centre in Amesbury PA Amesbury major incident after couple exposed to novichok Amesbury Baptist Centre PA On Tuesday, the Russian Embassy in London once again demanded access to the Skripals. Six months on from the attack, it has reiterated its belief that the UK is flouting international law by apparently keeping the pair from having contact with embassy officials. A statement released by the Russian Embassy on Tuesday referred to the circumstances of the March attack as "obscure" and accused British authorities of keeping the pair in isolation ever since their release from hospital. It said: "They remain out of the public eye at an unknown location, unable to communicate freely with their relatives, friends, journalists or Russian officials, deprived of the freedom of movement." The statement claimed UK authorities had refused to allow the embassy to have direct contact with the former spy and his daughter "in order to verify their actual health situation, the conditions in which they are held and, most importantly, to ascertain to which extent their isolation is voluntary". The embassy added that it had sent more than 70 notes and letters to the Foreign Office, Home Office and police since the poisoning but had had nearly all of its queries ignored. Additional reporting by PA<doc-sep>TWO Russian spies suspected of poisoning Sergei and Yulia Skripal disguised the deadly Novichok in a fake Nina Ricci perfume box. Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov were sensationally named by cops today as suspects in the Salisbury poisoning that left the dad and daughter fighting for life. 7 Charlie Rowley picked up this perfume box after it was used on the Skripals 7 The Russian suspects brought the perfume over from Russia 7 The bottle with a specially made applicator Police now believe the poison was brought to the UK from Russia in a Nina Ricci ‘Premier Jour’ perfume bottle with a specially made poison applicator. This is the same bottle picked up by Charlie Rowley, whose girlfriend Dawn Sturgess died after being exposed to Novichok on June 30. It had been unclear how the pair came across the deadly nerve agent in Salisbury but the two cases have now been linked. Charlie, 45, revealed when he regained consciousness that he found what he believed was a discarded bottle of perfume and handed it to Dawn as a present. Timeline of movements of Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov who are suspected of conspiracy to murder Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, Wiltshire 7 These men are wanted over the attempted hit on the Skripals in Salisbury Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 7 Charlie Rowley was in an induced coma for two weeks due to exposure to the poison Credit: AFP 7 Dawn Sturgess died after she was poisoned with a nerve agent in Salisbury Within hours they were both unconscious in hospital. Dawn never came out of her coma and died eight days later and the two cases have now been linked. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, National Lead for Counter Terrorism Policing, said today: "Charlie told police he found a box he thought contained perfume in a charity bin on Wednesday, 27 June. Inside the box was a bottle and applicator. He tried to put the two parts together at his home address on Saturday, 30 June, and in doing so got some of the contents on himself. "He said Dawn had applied some of the substance to her wrists before feeling unwell. Yulia Skripal speaks out for first since since nerve agent poison attack on her and dad Sergei in Salisbury 7 Sergei and Yulia Skirpal were poisoned by Novichok in March this year Credit: Enterprise News and Pictures "We have carried out numerous inquiries in relation to the bottle and are now able to release an image of it with the nozzle attached. We are also releasing an image of the box that the bottle and nozzle were in. "We have spoken to Nina Ricci and undertaken further inquiries. Nina Ricci and our inquiries have confirmed that it is not a genuine Nina Ricci perfume bottle, box or nozzle. "I’d like to reassure anyone who has bought Nina Ricci perfume from a legitimate source that they should not be concerned. It is safe." 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Novichok victim Charlie Rowley says girlfriend Dawn Sturgess was 'a lovely lady with a big heart'<doc-sep>
A PERFUME bottle containing deadly Novichok was found dumped in a charity bin before a woman died and a man was left fighting for his life, cops have revealed today. It was picked up by poisoning victim Charlie Rowley in Amesbury and taken home - but could have easily ended up on the shelf of a charity shop. 10 Charlie Rowley was poisoned after he found a bottle of perfume which contained Novichok Credit: © Facebook It is not known how it came to be behind a row of shops in Catherine Street, but the innocuous bottle containing fatal nerve agent was just one step away from being put on sale to the general public. Had Mr Rowley not stumbled upon the perfume box, it is likely the deadly liquid could have been used to raise funds for one of the many charity shops on that road. Mr Rowley told police he found a box on June 27, which contained the imitation designer perfume bottle, and gave it to his partner, Dawn Sturgess. She was rushed to hospital hours after spraying the fake fragrance onto her wrists on June 30, and died, before Charlie was also taken to hospital. 10 His partner, Dawn Sturgess, died after being exposed to the nerve agent Credit: Enterprise News and Pictures 10 Police said Novichok was brought into Britain in a Nina Ricci ‘Premier Jour’ perfume bottle Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 10 The perfume bottle was brought into the country in a specially made poison applicator Credit: SWNS:South West News Service Police name two Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov as suspects in the Salisbury novichok attack Timeline of movements of Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov who are suspected of conspiracy to murder Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, Wiltshire 10 The home of Charlie Rowley was searched by police and a bottle containing the nerve agent found Credit: SWNS:South West News Service The same deadly nerve agent was also responsible for leaving a former Russian spy and his daughter fighting for their lives after being attacked with the dangerous substance in March. Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov have now been linked to the attempted hit on the former MI6 mole Sergei and Yulia Skripal - and cops have issued a European Arrest Warrant for the pair. It is not known where the pair disposed of the Novichok used in the attack or how the agent was carried to the Skripals' home, but it was announced in July a bottle of the same substance was found inside the home Mr Rowley - under the guise of a bottle of Nina Ricci perfume. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We have spoken to Nina Ricci and undertaken further inquiries. 10 CCTV image of both suspects at Salisbury train station the day before the attack Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 10 These men are wanted over the attempted hit on the Skripals in Salisbury Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 10 The two suspects were caught smiling as they strolled through Salisbury hours before the attack on the Skripals Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 10 Sergei and Yulia Skirpal were both poisoned by Novichok in March this year Credit: Enterprise News and Pictures 10 Sergei Skripal was a former Russian spy working for MI6 Credit: AP:Associated Press Yulia Skripal speaks out for first since since nerve agent poison attack on her and dad Sergei in Salisbury "Nina Ricci and our inquiries have confirmed that it is not a genuine Nina Ricci perfume bottle, box or nozzle. It is in fact a counterfeit box, bottle and nozzle that have been especially adapted. "I’d like to reassure anyone who has bought Nina Ricci perfume from a legitimate source that they should not be concerned. It is safe. "We cannot account for the whereabouts of the bottle, nozzle or box between the attack on the Skripals on March 4 and when Charlie Rowley said he found it on Wednesday, June 27." Today it was revealed Petrov and Boshirov - suspected to be travelling under aliases - arrived in the country at Gatwick Airport before getting a train from London to Salisbury to carry out the attack on the former spy. Incredible CCTV footage shows the Russian pair named today - who are believed to be in their 40s - smiling as they stroll through the city on the day of the Skripal attack.