Three people found dead following 'critical incident' at Dorset care home

Three people have been found dead and four people have been taken to hospital after an incident at a Dorset care home, police said.

Emergency services are at the scene at Gainsborough Care Home in Ulwell Road in Swanage. The care home has been evacuated and the remaining residents have been taken to a safe location.

Dorset Police said an investigation has been launched and the deaths are currently being treated as "unexplained".

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However, a Dorset Council councillor suggested the incident "could be attributable to carbon monoxide". Katie Lobban, a spokesperson for SGN, a gas distribution company, said they were called to Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage earlier on Wednesday as the national gas emergency service for the south of England.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police confirmed three people were found dead at the care home. “Four other people have been taken to hospital as a precaution and other residents of the address have been evacuated to a safe location as emergency services respond to the incident,” they said.

The force spokesperson added: “There remains a significant multi-agency presence in place at the address and a cordon remains in place as we work with partners to carry out further enquiries.

“At this time there is nothing to indicate any risk to the wider public.

"We understand this incident will have a significant impact on the Swanage community and our thoughts are very much with the families of those who have sadly died at this extremely difficult time.”

Councillor Gary Suttle called the incident a “tragic event”. He told the PA news agency: “Our condolences and sympathy are with those who have lost their lives in this tragic event.”

The Dorset councillor told the PA news agency: “I have been told by (Dorchester) social services there was a critical incident at the home. Three people are confirmed as dead and two people have been taken to hospital.”

He added that there is a “suspicion” that “this could be attributable to carbon monoxide but it has not been proven”.

Mr Suttle said residents of the care home were initially taken to All Saint’s Church, near the scene, and will be moved to other placements.

He told of local residents “kindly” coming into the church bringing blankets in acts of “great community support”.

Ms Lobban said: “We were called to Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage earlier today in our capacity as the national gas emergency service for the south of England. Our engineers are waiting for access to the building to complete safety checks. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this tragic incident.”

South Western Ambulance Service said in a statement this morning: “We were called at 05:20hrs today to an incident at a care home in Swanage. We sent a Hazardous Area Response Team, ten double-crewed ambulances & a significant number of additional resources. Two patients were conveyed by ambulance to Poole Hospital.”