Firefighters, police officers and paramedics were in Burton in their droves to take part in a counter-terrorism exercise.

For several months exercise co-ordinators from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service have been formulating a sequence of scenarios designed to test fire crews and its partners on how they would react if a real terrorist attack took place.

And on Thursday, September 14, 190 firefighters along with 50 support staff and 27 fire engines, were called on to put their skills to the test in a range of terrorist related 'incidents' which unfolded within Staffordshire.

Hundreds of members of the emergency services took part in the exercise

Rugeley and Alrewas fire crews also took part in the exercise, which saw offices from each of the 999 services take to social media to reassure the public about the increased activity - and that it was just a drill.

Staffordshire's Chief fire officer Becci Bryant, used the opportunity to also pay tribute to those caught up in the latest terror attack in London, in which a home-made bomb partially detonated on a District Line train, injuring at least 29 people.

The exercise took months of planning and was kept a secret

She said: "Firstly, we would like to acknowledge the awful incident that took place in London on Friday morning, September 15, our thoughts are very much with those involved and the emergency responders who attended.

"This terrible event really emphasises the importance of exercises such as the one we carried out last week. It is essential that we are prepared and equipped to act quickly and effectively with our partners to keep the community of Staffordshire safe.

"The exercise has been months in the making and has been well and truly kept under wraps so that firefighters, staff and partners could respond as spontaneously as possible.

"It proved to be a valuable day, with some exceptional team work but also some real development opportunities identified. Of course I hope that we never have to put our well-laid emergency plans into practice for real and I want to stress that there is absolutely nothing to indicate that there is a specific threat to Staffordshire.

There was a number of difficult scenarios dealt with during the exercise

"However, with the UK threat level remaining at severe it is important we and our partners are prepared as we possibly can be. Our communities can be reassured that we work closely with our colleagues at the police and ambulance service to ensure that our staff are appropriately trained and prepared to respond in the event of a localised incident.

"The recent events in London are an important reminder to remain alert but not alarmed, and to remember the important run, hide, tell advice. If you are concerned about anything suspicious please report it via the anti-terrorism hotline on 0800 789 321 or ring 999 and ask for the police."

The exercise comes three months after the town was involved in a bomb scare that led to the town centre being cleared and a controlled explosion taking place on Burton's busy Station Street.

The explosion took place after a suspicious package was found in McDonald's Restaurant back in May. The bag turned out to be rubbish.

Police officers, along with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue service, cordoned off the scene as crowds gathered to see the item detonated. No-one was injured in the incident.

What is the current threat level in the UK and what does it mean?

Threat levels are designed to give a broad indication of the likelihood of a terrorist attack.

The threat level from international terrorism is set by JTAC - the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre.

It sits within MI5 and is deliberately independent of government. JTAC constantly reviews the threat level, daily.

Their decision to raise or lower the level is based on objective analysis of current intelligence, not as a result of the political desires or motivations of the government of the day.

The main UK threat level has been at either Severe (meaning an attack is "highly likely") or Critical (an attack is "imminent") since August 29, 2014.

Intelligence assessments: These are always best judgements based on available information - they are rarely exact.

The five threat levels are as follows:

LOW means an attack is unlikely

MODERATE means an attack is possible, but not likely

SUBSTANTIAL means an attack is a strong possibility

SEVERE means an attack is highly likely

CRITICAL means an attack is expected imminently

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