Latest updates as major incident declared at Dorset care home as police confirm three dead and four taken to hospital amid suspected carbon monoxide leak

Police have just confirmed three people have died at a care home in Swanage after a major incident was declared earlier today.

If you’re just joining us on this breaking news story, here’s what you need to know:

• Dorset Police say three people have died at Gainsborough care home in Swanage and four others taken to hospital as a precaution
• The force say the deaths are currently being treated as ‘unexplained’ but a local councillor has suggested they may be the result of a carbon monoxide leak
• Neighbours living near the care home said residents were evacuated early this morning and staff were seen hugging and crying outside the building
• Multiple police, fire and ambulances were scrambled to the care home where rescuers in hazmat suits were seen entering
• Southern Gas Network confirmed it was called to the care home to attend what it described as a ‘tragic incident’

Gainsborough Care Home (pictured) has said its priority was to ensure evacuated residents ‘remain safe and well’ in a statement following the deaths of three people earlier today.

In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson said

Part of the local business continuity plan was to transfer residents in a managed way to a local village hall and church, where they remain safe and well.

We appreciate that this is a stressful and worrying time for those involved and have allocated extra staffing resources to provide support locally. We are contacting and updating residents’ families.

We will continue to work with the lead local authority services to return residents into their home at the earliest opportunity, and will provide further updates in due course.

We’ve just posted Dorset Police’s statement, but let’s take a look at what the other emergency services have said today:

• South Western Ambulance Service

We were called at 05:20hrs today to an incident at a care home in Swanage. We sent a Hazardous Area Response Team, ten double-crewed ambulances & a significant number of additional resources. Two patients were conveyed by ambulance to Poole Hospital.

• Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service

We were called at 7.47am this morning to assist the ambulance service in Ulwell Road, Swanage. 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.

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.

Dorset Police have posted their statement on X after the force confirmed three people were found dead at a care home in Swanage.

We can now show you photographs of emergency services at the care home in Swanage where a major incident was declared.

Councillor Gary Suttle described the Gainsborough Care Home incident as a ‘tragic event’ as he told how patients will be relocated following a major incident

The Dorset councillor claimed social services had told him three people had died and two people had been taken to hospital.

He told the PA news agency: ‘Our condolences and sympathy are with those who have lost their lives in this tragic event.’

He added that all other residents are ‘safe and going to be relocated’.

Mr Suttle said residents of the care home were initially taken to All Saint’s Church, near the scene, and will be moved to other placements.

He told of local residents coming into the church bringing blankets in acts of ‘great community support’.

A Dorset Police spokesman has confirmed three people were found dead at a care home in Ulwell Road, Swanage, with an investigation launched because their deaths are being treated as ‘unexplained’.

‘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,’ the spokesman said.

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

We understand this incident will have a significant impact on the Swanage community and our thoughts are very much with the families of those who have sadly died at this extremely difficult time.

Gainsborough Care Home is located in Swanage, Dorset, and is run by Agincare, a national provider, which manages more than 20 other facilities across the UK.

The care home has 48 bedrooms and cares for elderly people, some of whom have dementia.

According to its website, Gainsborough provides ‘a safe and homely environment within a real village community’.

Here’s our breaking news story as witnesses say they saw staff hugging and crying outside the care home earlier this morning.

Three people have died and two people have been taken to hospital in an incident at a Dorset care home, councillor Gary Suttle has claimed.

The Dorset councillor told the PA news agency:

I have been told by (Dorchester) social services there was a critical incident at the home. Three people are confirmed as dead and two people have been taken to hospital.

He added that there is a ‘suspicion’ that this could be attributable to carbon monoxide but it has not been confirmed.

People living on Ulwell Road in Swanage saw Gainsborough Care Home residents being evacuated amid a heavy emergency services presence outside the home.

One man, who did not want to give his name, told the PA news agency:

They evacuated the care home, Gainsborough Care Home. They have taken all the patients out but the emergency services are still on the scene.

He said he saw some residents being evacuated in wheelchairs.

He believed emergency services arrived around 7am on Wednesday and he started to see people being moved out at around 8.30am.

He estimated there were two fire engines, three to four police cars and around eight or nine ambulances at the scene, where the road remains closed.

Hello and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage after a major incident was declared at a Dorset care home.

South Western Ambulance Service said it has taken two patients to hospital after emergency services were called to Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage.

Multiple ambulances, police cars and fire engines were called to the seaside town from 5.20am amid reports the care home had been evacuated.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest updates on this breaking news story.