Two people have been arrested after World War II-era mustard gas canisters were discovered in woods near what was previously an Royal Air Force base in eastern England.
A man was arrested on Tuesday and a woman was arrested on Wednesday and both are in police custody on suspicion of being in possession of a noxious substance.
The discovery was made on Saturday by people who were in Roughton Moor Woods near Woodhall Spa in Lincolshire. Two people suffered respiratory problems and burns and were later treated in hospital.
Explosive ordnance disposal personnel were called to deal with the find, and the canisters were sent to Porton Down, the U.K. Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, for testing.
The area was formerly RAF Woodhall Spa, which opened in February 1942 and closed in the mid 1960s.
Lincolnshire police said in a statement that “it is believed the canisters have been in situ since when the site was an operational RAF base.”
