TV drama shows gaps in defence plan

The frightening image of a deadly toxic gas cloud drifting through the streets of London after a terrorist strike in the City is depicted in a new TV show.

The Panorama documentary focuses on how the emergency services would cope with a multiple terrorist bomb attack on London.

The "docu-drama" depicts three bombs exploding on the London Underground and a chemical tanker containing deadly chlorine gas exploding in the City.

Police and the Home Office refused to take part in the documentary, in which hundreds are killed on the Tube and more than 2,000 die from the effects of a green cloud of dense chlorine gas.

Police sources described the scenario as "alarmist".

But the BBC says the programme, called London Under Attack, reveals gaps in preparations to deal with a massive terror strike.

Among the concerns it raises are that 1,000 of Britain's 6,000-strong Civil Contingency Reaction Force, which is supposed to defend against a terror attack, are now serving in Iraq.

London Underground staff say they have not received training to deal with terror attacks, and the programme claims that there is no national plan to alert the public to a catastrophe; schools have not been issued with any emergency guidance; and more than half of UK businesses have no crisis plans in place.

The documentary highlights how police and ambulance radios do not work deep underground.

The programme also claims that only a fraction of police officers trained to deal with a gas attack could be on duty at any time, while the fire service is still waiting for delivery of new search and rescue equipment.

The claims come as an Evening Standard investigation reveals the Government has no plans for the task of decontaminating buildings infected with chemical poisons or biological agents.

The loophole emerged after a senior MP disclosed that MI5 had discovered a "specific threat" of an anthrax attack on MPs.

This prompted the installation of a £1.5 million screen across the public gallery of the Commons last month.

And it comes as the Government plans to set up a special agency to deal with decontamination in the event of an "unconventional" terror strike.

The Standard investigation found:

  • At least five government departments share responsibility for decontamination. A Whitehall source described the situation as "a recipe for disaster".
  • No guidance has been given to local councils, environment-protection organisations or privatesector contractors on decontaminating buildings.
  • Emergency planners are likely to rely on the same clean-up technology used in the aftermath of the anthrax attacks in the United States, which would close targeted buildings for years.

Panorama: London Under Attack is on BBC1 on 16 May.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in