Polonium traces found at another UK restaurant

LONDON, Jan 5 (Reuters) Traces of the radioactive poison which killed Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko have been discovered at another London restaurant, British health authorities said today.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said it had discovered evidence of contamination with polonium 210 at Pescatori restaurant in central London and had offered to test staff there.

It said the restaurant was open for business and added there was no public health concern.

Litvinenko died on November 23. He accused the Kremlin of assassinating him in a case which has strained relations between London and Moscow.

Polonium traces have been discovered at sites visited by two Russian business associates of Litvinenko in London and Hamburg in late October, and on planes on which one of them flew between Moscow and London that month.

The men, Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun, met Litvinenko at London's Millennium Hotel on November 1, the day he fell ill. A guest and staff at the Millennium are among 12 people the HPA says have tested positive for low levels of polonium, although it says none of them are in any danger.

Contamination was also found at a London sushi bar where Litvinenko met an Italian contact on November 1.

The manager of Pescatori, Luigi Lavarini, told BBC television: ''We have no memory of Mr Litvinenko coming to the restaurant. We really don't know who it could be.'' Asked about Lugovoy and Kovtun he replied: ''This name doesn't mean anything to me. Nobody of this name appears on our reservation list.'' He said the restaurant had lots of Russian customers.

REUTERS PB KN2133