UN inspectors successfully completed their examination of the scene of the alleged chemical attack near Damascus, but only after dodging bullets from snipers.

The Syrian government blamed rebels for the attack while the opponents of President Bashir al Assad pointed the finger at pro-government militias.

A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon explained how within minutes of leaving a hotel one of the UN vehicles in a convoy was "deliberately shot at multiple times" in the buffer zone between rebel and government-controlled territory.

He said the car was "no longer serviceable" after the shooting, forcing the team to return to a government checkpoint to replace it. Later, the inspectors spent three hours at the site in Muadhamiya, taking samples and talking to residents. They later went to a Red Crescent centre to speak to local doctors.

In one video of the visit, a resident is heard telling an inspector of heavy raids with "over 600 canister strikes ... 12 tanks, 100 soldiers".

According to Medecins Sans Frontieres, three hospitals it supports in Damascus treated about 3600 patients with "neurotoxic symptoms" on Wednesday morning. Of those, 355 died.

While the UN inspectors might be able to confirm a chemical attack took place, it is thought unlikely they will be able to ascertain who was specifically responsible.

Britain and the US say there is little doubt the Assad regime is behind the suspected attack because only it has the capability of carrying it out. William Hague, the Foriegn Secretary, said there was "no other plausible explanation".

But President Assad has insisted the accusations are "politically motivated" and that his opponents were responsible. He said attacking such an area with chemical weapons would make no sense for his government as there was no clear front line between regime and rebel forces.