UK staff stage mock South Africa World Cup coach crash

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Local volunteers played the part of the injured

British consular staff in South Africa have staged a mock coach crash to test responses to a major emergency as they prepare for the football World Cup.

Some 20,000 England fans are expected at the tournament, which kicks off on 11 June, with many travelling by road.

British High Commission staff worked with a crisis response centre in London as they were put through their paces, along with Fifa staff and local police.

The Foreign Office says it staged a similar exercise ahead of Germany 2006.

The fictional scenario involved staff at the High Commission in Pretoria being alerted by phone to a crash involving British nationals on a road between Johannesburg and Cape Town, as they headed to watch England play Algeria.

Fake blood

Staff also viewed a mock-up of a television report about the incident.

They needed to put procedures in place to make sure the emergency services had been contacted and police escorts arranged.

They got response teams to the crash site and took details of names and relatives of the injured, as well as finding out which hospitals they were being taken to and arranging for extra medical help.

Local volunteers, many of them British, played the part of the injured. Some sported bandages and fake blood and pretended to cry and scream in pain, while others seemed confused or angry.

I know from experience that preparation counts for an enormous amount in advance of a football tournament and, in particular, preparation for eventualities which you hope will never happen Kevin Miles Football Supporters' Federation

Deputy High Commissioner Judith Slater said a similar exercise carried out ahead of the 2006 tournament in Germany had been found to be "extremely useful".

She said: "We'll do an exercise like this before any major sporting event - or any other event actually - where we expect there to be a lot of British visitors."

Foreign and Commonwealth Minister Chris Bryant said: "For many months our staff have been working to ensure that England fans heading to South Africa have a memorable experience.

"This is common practice for any major event held overseas attended by large numbers of British nationals. It is important to plan, so that we are fully prepared to react to any situation and support British nationals in the event of an emergency."

Kevin Miles, director of international affairs for the Football Supporters' Federation, welcomed the exercise, saying: "I know from experience that preparation counts for an enormous amount in advance of a football tournament and, in particular, preparation for eventualities which you hope will never happen.

"What I find particularly positive this time round is a lot of the government's attention seems to be focused on making sure that the fans get the most positive experience they can when they're in South Africa, and being there to support and help in all eventualities.

"That's a very refreshing contrast to, say, 12 years ago, when the government emphasis seemed to be on either apologising for us in advance, or discouraging us from travelling in the first place."

England's first match, against the USA, will be played in Rustenberg on 12 June.

It will be the first time the World Cup will have been hosted on the African continent.