IT now seems highly likely that, within a short time, this country will be at war with Iraq.

If Saddam Hussein has any links with terrorist groups, then no doubt we will find out shortly whether the threat to our country from "weapons of mass destruction" will become a reality or not. Even now, we appear to have a Fifth Column of Al Qaeda terrorists in our midst, so the possibility is not so remote.

With this in mind, I contacted Bury Metro to find out what if any contingency plans or civil defence arrangements were in existence to deal with such a threat.

I was told that, apart from an emergency planning officer and an assistant, there are no other personnel specifically on hand to plan how to deal with any emergency measures which may become necessary.

Apparently, there is no such thing as a volunteer Civil Defence Force any more and the ARP was disbanded in the early 1980s. Those volunteers trained in rescue, first-aid and communication, who were available in a time of emergency, were similarly disbanded as an economy measure some years ago. Even the air raid sirens were consigned to the scrap heap in the early 1990s. Any warning of an impending threat will no doubt be relayed by radio or television, should the service still be available.

I was informed that Civil Defence has been superseded by Civil Protection and that there is a generic plan to deal with disasters, but I would have thought that in wartime this should involve a large volunteer contingent to be effective.

Apparently, we are the only country in Europe not to have a volunteer Civil Defence force to assist in such circumstances. Perhaps it is not too late to resurrect such a force.

Finally, I would ask the council what contingency plans exist if, for example, a biological, chemical or nuclear device were detonated in Manchester and, suddenly, tens of thousands of people were on the move towards Bury?

CONCERNED,

Greenmount, Bury.