At the railway station of Reading, two women were poisoned by a chemical and hospitalized. The incident occurred in the county of Berkshire, which is located next to Wiltshire, where the infamous cities of Salisbury and Amesbury are the places where the poison "Novice" was poisoned by Sergei and Julia Skripali and a pair of British subjects. However, as soon as suspicions arose in a new "Russian trace", as they were immediately dispelled by paranoid British media.

According to the Daily Star, the cause of the accident was the release of a chemical from the air-conditioning system in the store. The victims were taken to the Royal Hospital of Berkshire, the paramedics also assisted other visitors to the outlet that received minor injuries. Representatives of the trading company confirmed this information and added that at present specialists determine the exact cause of the failure in the system. After the incident, the store was closed.