Terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda may be planning to buy former NHS ambulances and police cars to mount suicide bomb attacks in Britain, MI5 has warned.

They may import a tactic already used in Iraq and Israel, according to a report by MI5’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre to chief constables.

In a statement to The Sunday Times, the Association of Chief Police Officers also warned of the risk of such an attack. It said ministers must legislate to stop the sale of such vehicles.

Its move has been backed by Lord Carlile of Berriew, the government’s terrorism watchdog. He said he feared terrorists could exploit a loophole which did not allow police sufficient powers to stop and search the drivers of suspicious vehicles.

A Whitehall security official said that while there was evidence that Al-Qaeda had adopted the terrorist tactic in the Middle East, there was no specific intelligence of such a plot in Britain.

Every year dozens of police cars, ambulances and fire engines are sold. Some are fully marked and can be bought for as little as £1,500.

Counter-terrorism officials at the Home Office have now written to eBay, the internet auctioneer, asking it to stop selling emergency service vehicles, equipment and uniforms. However, eBay has said it will only self-regulate if a new law is passed.

The MI5 report highlights recent attacks by Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Israel. It points to one in February in which a suicide bomber drove a stolen ambulance packed with explosives into an Iraqi police station.

The bomber tried to break through a checkpoint but the vehicle exploded when police opened fire.

The report says terrorists have been using ambulances to transport bombs in Israel since at least 2002. It cites a report by the Israeli Defence Forces that Palestinian terrorists have used ambulances to ferry recruits and equipment around the West Bank.

Assistant chief constable Steve Watts of Hampshire police is chairing a national security committee which is drawing up plans to tackle the terrorist threat. He said: “What concerns me is the lack of legislation available for the police service to adequately address the threat of pseudo-emergency service vehicles used in such an environment.”

Carlile said: “As independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, I take this issue very seriously. In my view, as a general rule, all emergency service vehicles should be clearly decommissioned so they cannot be used to imitate emergency services.”

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