Two history enthusiasts were burned by potentially lethal mustard gas they stumbled upon while digging in woodland next to an old RAF base.
Police confirmed a 38-year-old man and woman from Lincoln, and a second man, from Woodhall Spa, have been detained on suspicion of possession of a noxious substance.
A bomb disposal unit rushed to the spot in Lincolnshire and cordoned off Roughton Moor Woods while checks are made to see if any more of the lethal gas remains.
There is no suggestion of a terrorist link but police want to know why the lung and eye-burning gas was buried in the woods and also at a lake in nearby Stixwould.
Canisters (pictured in the dirt) of potentially lethal mustard gas were found by two historians who were digging in woodland next to an old RAF base
Mustard gas was used during the First World War, killing and badly injuring thousands of soldiers in the trenches. It was outlawed by the Geneva Protocol of 1925.
The drama began on Sunday when two people digging for old and collectable glass bottles in the wood had to be taken to hospital with minor burns and respiratory problems after they struck the mustard gas canisters.
RAF Woodhall Spa base was located in the area from 1942 until it was closed in the mid 1960s.
Lincolnshire Police said it was ‘believed the canisters have been in situ since when the site was an operational RAF base’.
They said some of the wood has been cordoned off and emergency services are searching for any more devices.
Neither of the burns victim was seriously injured and they were both discharged from hospital on the same day, police added.
The canisters were taken to the ‘doomwatch’ top-secret Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, in Wiltshire.
Lincolnshire Police Supt Phil Vickers said ‘There is a significant amount of work that is on-going and you are aware there is a good number of partner agencies.
A bomb disposal unit rushed to the spot in Lincolnshire and cordoned off Roughton Moor Woods
‘Military colleagues are assisting in the search that is being conducted – it is very slow. Our priority is always the safety of the wider community as well as the responders who are on the scene.
‘It is going to take time before we ‘re satisfied that the search has been conducted safely.
‘The search that is being conducted in the woodland does not involve dogs. It does involve technology such as ground penetrating radar.’
Officials are also combing the area by hand, the force revealed.
There has been a large police presence in Woodhall Spa and on Wednesday officials wearing gas masks descended on a house between Nettleham Road and Riseholme Road, in Lincoln, resulting in the three arrests.
Police have today confirmed the trio have been released on bail until October 25.
Some of the wood has been cordoned off and emergency services are searching for any more devices
Andrew Wortley, from MGR Guns in Woodhall Spa, said: ‘It’s not the first time we’ve had things like this found in Woodhall Spa – I think the bomb squad were out last year.
‘This incident is a bit concerning though because it’s mustard gas. The woods are where this stuff was found are where my kid goes to scouts.’
The Geneva Protocol of 1925 banned the use of poisonous gas and biological weapons in warfare but not their production or stockpiling.
Councillor Craig Leyland, who represents Woodhall Spa on the district council, said ‘This is a very serious incident given the way it’s being dealt with by the police, the MoD and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down and I can fully understand that people are concerned.
‘There’s an ongoing police enquiry that seems to be gathering pace.
‘The use of mustard gas was banned in the 1920s but the presence of these shells here raises a lot of historical questions.’
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