Canary Wharf practices terror drill

Canary Wharf's tower was evacuated

Workers at Britain's tallest building were evacuated in an emergency drill designed to prepare them for a terrorist attack.

Canary Wharf's 50-storey tower, which hosts up to 7,500 workers, was cleared in 20 minutes.

But some staff said many of their colleagues had already left the building to avoid the practice and that they were allowed to use lifts, which would be shut down in a real emergency.

Managers of the 800ft-tall complex, which has been considered a possible target since the 11 September attacks, said the operation went "very smoothly".

I reckon there was only about half of the 7,000 workers present for it

Canary Wharf media worker

A spokesman for Canary Wharf said: "It was all part of our overall safety plan but it's no secret that in the light of the September 11 incident all major buildings are now looking at evacuation drills rather than just the traditional fire drill."

An employee of one financial company in the tower said: "The evacuation went very well but we were able to use the lift as well as the stairs, which wouldn't be possible in a real emergency."

A media worker added: "It went smoothly but everybody knew about the drill in advance, so I reckon there was only about half of the 7,500 workers present for it."

Only the tower was evacuated during the drill, with a nearby shopping centre and neighbouring offices unaffected.

Canary Wharf managers said they will study the drill to see if safety measures can be improved.

One Canada Square was completed in 1990 and is home to 27 different companies.