Three people dead and four in hospital after 'incident' at care home as emergency services at the scene

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

Emergency services are currently on site at Gainsborough Care Home, located on Ulwell Road in Swanage, Dorset, and the remaining residents have been safely evacuated.

While Dorset Police are treating the deaths as unexplained at this time, a local councillor for Dorset Council has suggested to PA news agency that there is a "suspicion" that "this could be attributable to carbon monoxide but it has not been proven".

Katie Lobban, representing SGN, a gas distribution company, confirmed they were called to the scene at Gainsborough Care Home earlier on Wednesday in their capacity as the national gas emergency service for the south of England.

Witnesses said staff members were seen outside the building hugging each other and crying. A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman also said they were called to the scene to assist ambulance crews in Ulwell Road at 7.47am.

Group manager Neil Tidball said: “We currently have four fire crews on scene from Swanage, Wareham, Westbourne, Poole, a support vehicle from Dorchester along with two crews from Winchester (Hampshire and IOW FRS). Firefighters are working with Dorset Police, South West Ambulance Service and other partners to resolve this incident.”

Dorset Police said it could not yet confirm any details of the incident. The home, run by Agincare, has 48 residents, all elderly and some with dementia. All of the residents were evacuated to a nearby church hall. The family of one resident was called by the company on Wednesday morning and told that everyone was “fine”.