Police believe alert sparked by solvent (From The Oxford Times)

Police believe alert sparked by solvent

9:10am Friday 3rd August 2012 in Didcot

AN industrial solvent is believed to have sparked a chemical alert during an assault inquiry, police said.

Park Close in Didcot was closed off as the fire, police and ambulance service attended Wednesday’s alert.

They were called at about 6.20am after paramedics went to a house in the street to treat a man with serious head injuries and smelled a “strong” substance.

Police now believe the substance was brake disc cleaner.

The 50-year-old victim was yesterday still in a critical condition in the John Radcliffe Hospital , Oxford. No arrests have been made.

Det Insp John Turner said: “We are still in the early stages of the investigation and are working hard to follow up lines of enquiry to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident.

“We have been working closely with the fire service to find the cause of the smell and at this stage we believe this to be from an industrial solvent, likely to be brake disc cleaner. There is nothing to suggest that this solvent is relevant to our ongoing investigation at this time.”

Residents said they were told not to leave their homes and to shut their windows.

Police are asking anyone who saw “suspicious activity” in the area to call Det Insp Turner on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.