On March 4 last year, the historic city of Salisbury became the focus of the world’s press after a chemical weapons attack was carried out on its streets.
As former double agent Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and a responding police officer were left fighting for their lives after being poisoned with Novichok, Salisbury – and its now-infamous cathedral – became known the world over.
The attack suspects even gave an interview in which they insisted they had flown from Russia to visit the church which is “famous not just in Europe, but in the whole world”.
So people were pretty surprised when a tweet from the prime minister’s official account marking a year since the attack featured a photo of… Bath.
The tweet – which was later deleted – featured a quote from Theresa May calling Salisbury a “beautiful, welcoming English city” over the top of a photo of Bath’s St John’s Church and the River Avon.
“At least the Russian poisoning suspects could recognise the correct church spire,” one journalist quipped on Twitter.
“Nothing screams beautiful Salisbury like a picture of Bath,” another user added.
A spokesperson for Number 10 said the mistake was down to “human error” and that the post was “taken down quickly”.
The blunder comes on the same day that May visited Salisbury to mark a year since the Novichok attack in the city.
In a statement the PM said the city was emerging from the “shadow cast by the use of chemical weapons on the streets of our country”.
“Now, 12 months on, we see this historic city, welcoming thousands of visitors and tourists as it plans for a positive and prosperous future.
“The fact Salisbury and the wider region has fought back so well from such a devastating and reckless incident is testament to the resolve, forbearance and positivity of the community,” she added, paying tribute to the people who were poisoned with Novichok in Salisbury and nearby Amesbury.
A 44-year-old woman from Amesbury died in July after being exposed to the chemical nerve agent, while a man spent three weeks in hospital.