High praise for underground rail workers and hospital staff

Published on Friday 22 September 2006 14:25

NOT a single life was lost in the July 7 bombings because of poor planning, a second report published today said.

London Underground staff behaved in an "exemplary" manner and NHS staff made sure 1200 beds were available within three hours, according to the report by the London Resilience Forum (LRF). But recommendations, including a mobile digital radio infrastructure in the capital, have been implemented since.

The Airwave system should be fully rolled out in police services by October 2007, ambulance services by early 2008 and fire services by mid-2009. Special "link vehicles" will be able to extend the Airwave system underground.

Better medical supplies will be placed at the major transport hubs after a lack of supplies was apparent.

Poor communication was cited as the "greatest single area of concern" by the forum.

An over-reliance on mobile phones by those on the ground meant that no proper channels of communication could be established.

The report said: "On July 7 the mobile networks did not crash but were heavily congested and users had difficulty making calls."

The LRF praised the evacuation of the London Underground and said the emergency services' response was "rapid and effective".

But police officers guarding the cordons around each of the four bomb sites were so strict that they did not let non-emergency staff into the areas.