Sir,-We are fortunate to have Gordon Iles as our Emergency Planning Officer for Richmond - one of the best in London and with great experience (letters February 11th).

I am aware that the public services have well exercised and updated plans capable of dealing effectively with any local, or even inter-borough incident or disaster, but what is of great concern to many people is the apparent paucity of guidance for dealing with a large-scale nuclear, chemical, biological or airliner/bomb' attack.

Gordon reminded me that Exercise Trump Card took place in July 2000 but I believe the full report has yet to be issued. Is it too horrific?

Many of your readers will have reacted with alarm if they watched Smallpox 2002 - Silent Weapon'.

After years of study there is still no national public warning. There are no stock-piles of respirators for the public.

While there may be sufficient smallpox vaccines (which can be diluted) there are other biological agents: 2oz of anthrax, effectively dispersed, could (according to The Times) kill 200 million people.

The CCCC (Cabinet Civil Contingencies Committee) is in charge. It has three sub-committees, the London Resilience Committee, (to which Gordon Iles made reference,) the UK Resilience Committee and the Chemical and Biological Committee. What have they decided?

It can be assumed that all rest and reception centres over a large area could be required to be opened simultaneously, especially for a chemical or biological incident, which could be beyond their resources. Similar strictures could also apply for attacks on, for example, the RFU with 70,000 plus spectators or a nuclear power station.

The CCCC is at pains to assure the public at large that it has plans in place for all eventualities, but has it really or would it just like to think so?

As Gordon agrees, Stay inside, close all doors and windows and turn on the radio or TV', if you have been told you are under attack!

-David Harper, Church Road, Teddington.