Sales of gas masks are booming as Britain prepares to wage war against Iraq, with some London rail commuters starting to discreetly carry them in case of terror attacks, security consultants say.
A few Britons are even abandoning the capital altogether for the safety of country retreats.
The government launched a new anti-terrorism website on Wednesday warning there was a risk extremists would use military action against Iraq to carry out terror attacks and encouraging people to stock up on tinned food and batteries.
But after regular warnings from Prime Minister Tony Blair that groups such as al Qaeda would try to attack Britain, some Britons are taking more drastic action.
"We know at least 1,000 people are travelling with respirators every day on the Tube (the London Underground)," said Edward Klinger, managing director of Ozonelink, a London-based firm which supplies gas masks and protective suits to civilians.
Unlike the large rubber masks of World War Two days, these masks can be carried easily in a bag, he told Reuters.
More than 60,000 people, mainly commuters and office workers but also worried parents, have contacted the firm for advice so far this year, their fears exacerbated by the discovery of the deadly toxin ricin in a London flat in January, Klinger said.
"We've seen about a 15-times increase over normal trading and inquiry levels because of the current security environment. People are worried about poison gas attacks erupting in places like the Tube," he added.
One new online gas mask supplier, SafetyMasks, said it had had orders from all over the country since its launch.
"We have seen a phenomenal increase in sales," co-founder Brian Marin told Reuters.
John Harris, managing director of international security consultants Global Risk International, said they too had seen a marked growth of public concern in the last six weeks.
"We have had a lot of inquiries about chemical and biological suits," he said.
"A lot of people, especially in the corporate sector, are trying to keep it under wraps. They don't want it to be common knowledge that they've got this in the building."
He estimated that a substantial number of people would be carrying masks and other protective gear unbeknown to their fellow commuters.
A few Britons are even abandoning the capital altogether for the safety of country retreats.
The government launched a new anti-terrorism website on Wednesday warning there was a risk extremists would use military action against Iraq to carry out terror attacks and encouraging people to stock up on tinned food and batteries.
But after regular warnings from Prime Minister Tony Blair that groups such as al Qaeda would try to attack Britain, some Britons are taking more drastic action.
"We know at least 1,000 people are travelling with respirators every day on the Tube (the London Underground)," said Edward Klinger, managing director of Ozonelink, a London-based firm which supplies gas masks and protective suits to civilians.
Unlike the large rubber masks of World War Two days, these masks can be carried easily in a bag, he told Reuters.
More than 60,000 people, mainly commuters and office workers but also worried parents, have contacted the firm for advice so far this year, their fears exacerbated by the discovery of the deadly toxin ricin in a London flat in January, Klinger said.
"We've seen about a 15-times increase over normal trading and inquiry levels because of the current security environment. People are worried about poison gas attacks erupting in places like the Tube," he added.
One new online gas mask supplier, SafetyMasks, said it had had orders from all over the country since its launch.
"We have seen a phenomenal increase in sales," co-founder Brian Marin told Reuters.
John Harris, managing director of international security consultants Global Risk International, said they too had seen a marked growth of public concern in the last six weeks.
"We have had a lot of inquiries about chemical and biological suits," he said.
"A lot of people, especially in the corporate sector, are trying to keep it under wraps. They don't want it to be common knowledge that they've got this in the building."
He estimated that a substantial number of people would be carrying masks and other protective gear unbeknown to their fellow commuters.
