The current threat level for terrorist incidents is Severe (as at 4th July 2007).

That is the informed opinion as reported by MI5 on their intelligence web pages

The Threat Levels

These levels give an indication of the likelihood of a terrorist attack.

The estimation is based on factors such as recent events, terrorist intentions and known abilities and current intelligence from a variety of sources.

As always such intelligence is usually incomplete, otherwise we could simply walk in and arrest the terrorists just before an incident happens!

And there are 5 levels of threat. These are:

• Critical – an attack is expected imminently
• Severe – an attack is highly likely
• Substantial – an attack is a strong possibility
• Moderate – an attack is possible, but not likely
• Low – an attack is unlikely

And of course certain areas are at higher risk than others. Areas at higher risk include:

• Major train stations such as London, Manchester, Birmingham
• Airports such as Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester
• Cities London, Manchester, Birmingham

Think about this for a moment. You may not be affected by a bomb, or even an "incident." What happens if the security forces have to seal off the area where your business is for a day, 2 days or more? Would you be able to continue trading with little or no impact?