Stock up for terror attacks

Householders should put aside emergency supplies of food in case of a chemical attack by terrorists, the Government said today.

The advice comes after ministers unveiled sweeping new powers to deal with a terrorist operation.

For the first time, ordinary citizens have been told to prepare for the doomsday scenario of an al Qaeda strike.

The advice comes in the wake of the Civil Contingencies Bill, which will allow ministers to seal off the sites of terror attacks or potential targets, evacuate hundreds of thousands of people on commandeered buses and trains and enforce any exclusion zone. Police will also be authorised to shoot to kill.

The key advice is summed up as "go in, stay in and tune in". Ministers want the public to stay indoors and out of the way of the emergency services and listen to radio or television for announcements.

The details have been posted on the Government's main anti-terrorism website - www.ukresilience.info. It tells homeowners they should stock up on tinned food and bottled water, batteries and a torch. Businesses have been urged to draw up contingency plans and to consider secondary sites to relocate key staff.

Special Branch and MI5 officers have held talks with some of Britain's biggest companies to help them prepare for a potential attack.

Specific guidance has been issued to the financial sector, which is seen as the most vulnerable because it is concentrated in the City and Docklands - both prime terror targets.

Companies have been told to consider remote IT facilities that could operate in the event of an attack, and to draw up disaster recovery plans.

In an emergency in London, Mayor Ken Livingstone would have the main responsibility for keeping the public informed.

The advice is the first to be issued since the Cold War's "protect and survive" campaigns.