Three people dead at care home in Dorset

Three people have died at a care home in Dorset and four more have been taken to hospital.

Dorset police said: “We received a report at 7.16am to three people who had been found deceased at a care home in Ulwell Road in Swanage.

“Inquiries are being carried out to establish the full circumstances and we are continuing to liaise with our partner agencies.

“The families of those who have died have been informed and the coroner has been notified. The deaths are currently being treated as unexplained and an investigation has been launched.

“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.

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

One early line of inquiry is that that residents at the 48-bed home may have been affected by carbon monoxide.

South Western ambulance service sent a hazard response team to the Gainsborough care home in Swanage and gas company engineers were standing by waiting to carry out checks.

Gary Suttle, the Swanage councillor at Dorset council, said there was a “suspicion” that the incident “could be attributable to carbon monoxide but it has not been proven”.

Suttle added: “All the other residents have been taken to All Saints church and are going to be relocated and looked after. They seem healthy and well. For Swanage, it is a shocking event for a small community.”

About 40 vulnerable residents and staff were taken to the church for shelter. An appeal was issued for local residents to bring in blankets, electric heaters and hot drinks.

A South Western ambulance service spokesperson said it was called at 5.20am on Wednesday to an incident in Swanage, sending a hazard response team, 10 double-crewed ambulances and “a significant number of additional resources”. The spokesperson said: “Two patients were conveyed by land ambulance to Poole hospital.”

Katie Lobban, a spokesperson for Southern Gas Network 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.”

People living near the scene in Ulwell Road saw residents being evacuated, some in wheelchairs.

A Dorset and Wiltshire fire and rescue service spokesperson said they were called to the scene to assist ambulance crews at 7.47am. Group manager Neil Tidball said: “Firefighters are working with Dorset police, South West ambulance service and other partners to resolve this incident.”