POLICE investigating the murder of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko have told a York student to undergo polonium 210 testing.

Dani Fallon, 20, was contacted by Scotland Yard detectives, because she had stayed in a hotel room used by suspects in the assassination.

The room where Miss Fallon stayed with friend Hayley Walker, 19, contained traces of the radioactive poison.

Miss Fallon, who is in her second year at York St John University, said: "We are both really shocked. To start with, we were not that upset but now it's really hit.

"We are going for screening. We are waiting for the Health Protection Agency to contact us and then we will take it from there."

Mr Litvinenko died last November, after being allegedly poisoned in London the previous month.

Miss Fallon and Miss Walker stayed in the Best Western Hotel in Shaftesbury Avenue, London, on October 27 - two nights after the room had been used by people now suspected of poisoning the former KGB agent.

Officers called the friends on Monday to check they had stayed there, then visited Miss Fallon in York on Tuesday and told her she had to be tested.

Miss Fallon said it was completely "out of the blue."

She has now returned home to Northamptonshire, from where she spoke to The Press.

She said: "My mum has been upset and worried, and I wanted to see Hayley." Miss Fallon said she was concerned about possible cancer as a result of the exposure to the substance.

She added: "I was just in shock. I was a bit worried, not because of the Polonium 210, but because there were people capable of doing that in there. I could not believe it really."

The pair were in London to watch the Queen musical We Will Rock You, and had only ended up in the Shaftesbury Avenue hotel by chance, due to a fire in another hotel. Miss Fallon said: "It was fate that we were there. We were meant to be in the Best Western at Hyde Park."

The Metropolitan Police declined to comment.

A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency, said more than 1,000 people had been assessed since the investigation began, and more than 700 tested.

He said only 17 people in UK had shown levels classified as being of any concern, out of over 700, and none of those were at any immediate risk.

A spokeswoman for York St John University said they had not been contacted about the testing, but added: "Were they approached, Student Services would advise the student to make contact with their medical services on campus, which have a close working relationship with North Yorkshire Health Protection Agency, who will be aware of any national testing programmes.

"Any student who comes us with concerns over issues relating to their health and welfare will be given full support and guidance."