This is what a chemical attack on the UK would look like

This is what a chemical attack on the UK would look like Jen Mills Published November 26, 2025 5:12pm Updated November 26, 2025 5:19pm Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook Comment now Comments A firefighter hoses down simulated patients during the emergency training exercise in an abandoned hospital in Papworth (Picture: Cpl Danielle Dawson/MOD/SWNS)

Firefighters sprayed down members of the public while a bomb disposal robot poked a ‘bomb’ on a bed and soldiers in hazmat gear set up tents.

Thankfully, this wasn’t a genuine emergency, but a simulation of a large scale chemical attack on UK soil, when armed forces and emergency services took over an abandoned hospital in Cambridgeshire earlier this month.

Security expert Will Geddes told Metro that the people of Papworth don’t need to be unduly alarmed, as these types of drills have been going on since the early 1990s, when the threat level increased after the Gulf War’s Operation Desert Storm. But that the fact they happen at all indicates that the threat is there.

Chilling scenes at the hospital near Bedford saw up to 600 members of the emergency services join up with armed forces, NHS staff and others to simulate how they would react to a large-scale chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive (CBRNE) incident.

‘If they’re training for it and practising for it, it’s always possible,’ Mr Geddes said.

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A specialist team of EOD experts prepare to approach a device during a CBRN and EOD training exercise (Picture: Cpl Danielle Dawson/MOD /SWNS) A Harris bomb disposal robot deals with a suspect device during a CBRN and EOD training exercise (Picture: Cpl Danielle Dawson/MOD/SWNS)

The most likely attacker would be Russia, he said, or an extremist terror group.

In his view, how high the threat level is currently depends on the outcome of the proposed peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

‘That’s going to have quite a lot of bearing, potentially, on Russia’s opinions towards Europe, towards Germany, towards the UK,’he said.

‘If the Ukraine conflict can be resolved, and if Russia doesn’t feel like its borders are being threatened, then there’s every chance things will subside a bit.’

While the fact of this drill in itself shouldn’t make us panic, he said they start to take place more regularly, this would be an indication that the threat is becoming more acute.

The drill, held between November 4 and 7, tested the response to a complex incident including the release of hazardous material, and a number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

A firefighter hoses down simulated patients at the abandoned hospital in Papworth (Picture:Cpl Danielle Dawson/MOD /SWNS) A specialist team of EOD experts approach the device with specialist equipment (Picture: Cpl Danielle Dawson/MOD/SWNS)

Mr Geddes said that seeing these drills would obviously be ‘fairly alarming for the general public’, and this is why in many cases they take place at night.

Those being hosed down by firefighters were going through decontamination, he said, and were likely to have been either soldiers or actors paid to play the roles of members of the public.

He said he believes we are ‘pretty well prepared’ if such an attack shoud happen: ‘Our critical infrastructure resilience is pretty damn good.’

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Jointly delivered by Eastern Region Counter Terrorism Policing and the Ministry of Defence, it aimed to improve coordination in the event of a major attack.

The Army’s Technical Response Force (TRF) arrive to set up a CBRN tent while the initial EOD team deal with a suspect device (Picture: Cpl Danielle Dawson/MOD/SWNS)

The MOD said: ‘The use of CBRNE materials in an attack remains significantly less likely than a conventional attack, however its malicious release remains a major threat to national security according to the National Risk Register.

‘Such incidents could include the terrorist use of a chemical or biological weapon, an improvised explosive device, a hazardous materials release, or a large-scale poisoning.’

Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, said: ‘Joint training is vital to ensure that our policing partners, armed forces and emergency responders can work seamlessly together to protect the British public from a range of threats, including chemical, biological and radiological incidents.’

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