MI5 is advising businesses how to avoid terror attacks

The advice is aimed at businesses and organisation and includes suggestions of ways to avoid or minimise the effects of terror attacks on their buildings and staff.

Businessman Hugh Morgan-Williams, whose business Canford Audio employs 200 people in Washington, Tyne and Wear, said the advice seemed sensible.

He told BBC News Online: "I think the fact its come from MI5 and not from a politician or a senior policeman indicates the level of seriousness the government is attaching to this issue.

"The top 10 tips on how to protect your business are the kind of things all sensible and responsible businesses should be doing anyway."

'Good advice'

He said: "There is good advice on protecting against business interruption and ensuring business continuity, reviewing your IT systems and making them more robust and looking at access to your business and so on."

Mr Morgan-Williams said none of the measures suggested would be enough on their own to prevent a determined terrorist from carrying out an attack.

But they could deter attackers looking for a soft target.

He added not all of the measures suggested by MI5 would be appropriate for every type of business.

Emergency action

For example, it would not be practical for all businesses to screen the hand baggage of people coming onto their premises.

He said: "For those that have a lot of customer throughput, such as retail outlets, it could be incredibly disruptive.

"If every customer had to have their bag screened in a big shop like Selfridges, things could simply grind to a halt.

The MI5 website will be very useful and applicable for small and medium-sized businesses who otherwise just do not have the expertise or the staff to get people trained up in these measures Mike Osbourne, ICM MI5 advice goes online

"People just have to interpret for themselves which measures are sensible for them."

Mr Morgan-Williams, whose firm manufactures broadcasting, communications and security equipment, said MI5 had given him food for thought.

Mike Osbourne is head of business continuity at ICM, which provides business continuity centres where firms can de-camp in the case of events such as natural disasters, power failures or terror attacks.

He said many of MI5's suggestions were already considered best practice at the top end of the industry.

"The MI5 website will be very useful and applicable for small and medium-sized businesses who otherwise just do not have the expertise or the staff to get people trained up in these measures.

'Vigilant'

"It is quite detailed and it advises people to do important things such as make sure they use reputable IT developers and run annual tests to make sure these things actually work.

"There is advice on how communications and how to move people from site to site, on having IT back-up systems and making sure banking systems are reliable."

Dr James Hart, Commissioner of City of London Police, said the website contained "valuable" advice for businesses.

He advised firms to appoint someone at "top level" to take day-to-day responsibility for the security of buildings, assets and people, making sure staff were reassured and materials coming into their premises were properly screened and vetted.