Three dead in incident at care home

Three people have died and two people have been taken to hospital after an incident at a Dorset care home, a councillor has claimed. Emergency services are at the scene at a care home in Ulwell Road, in Swanage, where South Western Ambulance Service confirmed two people were taken to hospital and a hazard response team was deployed on Wednesday.

Dorset Council councillor Gary Suttle 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”.

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. “Our engineers are waiting for access to the building to complete safety checks,” she said.

“Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this tragic incident.”

Dorset Police said they could not yet confirm any details of the incident.