Platinum Jubilee party planners have been warned by police of the danger of possible terror attacks.
More than 60,000 have registered to host Big Jubilee lunches over June 2 to 5 bank holiday weekend to mark the Queen ’s 70 years on the throne.
An estimated 10 million will celebrate with street parties across the country.
A five-page document sent to organisers by the Met Police entitled “Counter Terrorism Protective Security Advise for Street Parties” warns that the gatherings could be attractive to attackers because of the large and diverse crowds expected.
It says: “Terrorists using weapons as vehicle do NOT comply with traffic management systems. The rules of the road will not apply to them.”
Organisers are advised to reduce the ability of vehicles to increase speed on approach to gatherings. It says: “It is recommended that street furniture is not removed... Strategically positioned vehicles can act as a deterrent, but may not completely stop an attack.”
Volunteers are told to stand next to parked cars blocking entrances to allow emergency vehicles to come and go.
They are advised to carry an air horn to warn of any potential attack unfolding.
It says: “Any capability to quickly alert people to danger can increase their reaction time.”
The document, by counter-terrorism security adviser Ian Rudge, says attacks are not everyday occurrences but warns the threat is “substantial”, so an attack is “likely”.
It adds that there is no specific intelligence that street parties are going to be targeted.
A Met Police spokesperson said: "The Queen's Platinum Jubilee is a momentous occasion for our country with London being the centre of the celebrations.
"The Met will be playing its part by helping to keep those marking and celebrating the occasion safe - including from terrorism.
"Whilst there is certainly no intelligence of any specific threat to any of the events linked to the Jubilee, our specialist officers have been working closely with event organisers and local authorities across London to advise them on the best way to make their events safe and secure for all. This is something we routinely do for all planned public events of significant scale.
“This advice has also been offered and extended to local street party organisers, to give them practical tips and advice on how to keep their event as safe as possible."
