A MAJOR exercise simulating a “catastrophic incident” is to be staged in London, David Blunkett announced yesterday as he outlined further contingency plans to counter a terrorist attack.

The incident will involve a mock chemical weapons attack on the London Underground at Bank station in the City on Sunday, March 23.

The exercise will be staged when the Underground is quiet and no members of the public will be allowed on the Tube train involved. However, officials said that rescue teams would be unaware of the extent of the incident or what precisely had happened.

Two separate exercises are also being planned to test flood defences and the national gas supply, the Home Secretary said in a Commons statement. This weekend a separate terrorist exercise will be run at the national emergency nerve centre, Cobra in Whitehall, to test the response of public services and the Government’s communication network.

The Home Secretary also announced that 7,000 voluntary reservists would be deployed in 14 civil contingency units to help to counter terrorism on the home front. The Times has also learnt that alternative bases for the Prime Minister and all the main Whitehall ministries are now being set up outside London in case there is a major terrorist attack in the heart of the capital.

Tony Blair, his key officials and senior ministers will be relocated in an “alternative seat of government” where there are nuclear bunkers and high security, but also good communications.

Whitehall sources pointed out that if Downing Street were still accessible, or if the incident were outside London, the Prime Minister would remain at No 10, which has a nuclear bunker and sealed rooms in the event of a chemical attack.

If Whitehall or the capital were closed off, he would go to one of two or three bases that are being prepared depending on the location and extent of any attack. These are likely to be military bases that already have nuclear bunkers, not too far from London.

But sources insisted that Mr Blair and three or four senior ministers would be “visible” as soon as possible after a terrorist attack. “We want to ensure that government is seen to continue to run smoothly once an attack takes place,” one Whitehall official said.

“He will not be like Bush,” another senior official said, referring to the decision by the Secret Service in the United States to put President Bush on Air Force One. He then spent hours in the air between bases before returning to Washington on the evening of the twin towers tragedy on September 11. The official said that a top team of ministers had been identified who would also be visible on radio and television to reassure the public and run the Government in the days after an attack.

The core team would include Gordon Brown, John Prescott and David Blunkett although Alan Milburn and Alistair Darling would also be called in to deal with any impact on hospitals or public transport. Whitehall officials emphasised that it was unlikely that all the ministers would be based with the Prime Minister. “Departmental ministers will have their own security plans to follow and will probably be relocated to other secure bases unless they are with the Prime Minister at the time of an attack.”

Sir David Omand, Security and Intelligence Co-ordinator, has also asked all permanent secretaries to draw up contingency plans to relocate their staff. All departments have identified buildings outside London. The permanent secretaries and the ministers would move to the regional base.

Whitehall chiefs have been asked to draw up key priorities for their departments and to check if they have adequate IT back-up if their computer systems fail. Most departments have now identifed a core people who would be based in Whitehall if possible, with back-up teams in regional offices or working from home.

If Whitehall were closed off the team would move to a regional office, or if this were impractical, alternative staff would be identified outside London. The simulated incident on March 23 will avoid any public hysteria, but officials made it clear that it would be “real” for the rescue workers. They will not know how many people have been hurt, if the train crashed, if it was on a platform or down a tunnel or if electricity was on.

More than 80 volunteers will act as passengers during the test. The drill will simulate the effects of a chemical attack on the Central Line. Bank station will be closed for the day as up to 40 fire engines, dozens of ambulances and hundreds of police take part.

The 7,000-strong Civil Contingency Reaction Force will comprise units drawn from the Territorial Army. They will be units dedicated to working with the emergency services and will carry out tasks such as evacuating civilians or manning cordons after an attack.

Mr Blunkett told MPs that in the event of a terrorist strike, deployment of the military, including reserves, would be at the request of the local chief constable, and approved by ministers. He also announced a new Home Office anti-terrorism website designed to give “clear, accessible” information to the public.

The Liberal Democrats yesterday expressed concern over the readiness of the nation to deal with terrorist strikes. The party said concerns over the Government’s new Health Protection Agency, due to be set up next month, had been “buried” in the House of Commons library - a tactic of ministers with something to hide.

Nearly a quarter of hospitals say that they are not ready to cope with a major chemical, biological or radioactive incident while a third have failed to test their plan for a disaster, a recent study found.

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