A terrorist attack? No, just the latest sales tactic of a firm promoting protective equipment to an increasingly jumpy British public.

And with Britain's enthusiastic backing for the US-led war in Iraq sparking increased fears that London could be a prime target for terrorist attacks, business is booming.

In recent weeks, a series of mainly Internet-based businesses have sprung up, selling worried Britons everything from the most basic foldable face masks to chemical warfare suits for the entire family.

But they are not cheap.

A full protection kit for a family of five costs almost 1,200 poundsdollars, 1,750 euros). For animal lovers, even a cat or dog can be fully kitted out at 450 pounds apiece.

Most aggressive in their marketing has been "You Won't Get Me", the company paying salespeople to don masks and hand out leaflets to commuters outside the London Underground subway system.

"New York, Bali, Tokyo. Who's Next?" the advertising screams, in reference to recent sites of terror attacks.

Thus far the pamphleteers have only worn small, part-face masks, but "You Won't Get Me" managing director John Gladden promises more dramatic tactics.

"Next week we'll be putting people in full masks and sending them to Westminster station," adjoining Britain's parliament, he said.

"All we are saying is that we are at war, and it is sensible to be prepared. We are not trying to frighten anyone," he argued, adding that the firm had already sold 14,000 basic masks at 15 pounds each.

Brian Marin, co-founder of the safetymasks.co.uk website, said his firm had been "absolutely inundated" by orders since they began trading on March 15, mainly selling portable masks.

"They are something that people can take with them day to day. Some people see it as a kind of insurance policy. You hope you never have to use it, but it is there if you do," he said.

"We are not trying to alarm people, trying to instill fear. All we are doing is to provide information so that people can make an informed purchasing decision."

However some experts say that the mushrooming businesses could be cashing in on unnecessary panic.

John Eldridge, editor of Jane's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence, dismisses some of the most unscrupulous firms as "snake oil salesmen".

He warned that each design respiratory mask is often meant for protection only against a very limited number of toxins.

"They are very specific. It is no good these companies saying the masks will give you protection against 'WMDs' (weapons of mass destruction)," he warned.

The full-body chemical warfare suits sold by some firms also had limited efficiency, he added.

"First of all, these suits only work if you are wearing them, so are you going to walk around in a good suit all the time?"

"My own feeling is that the level of risk to the public compared, say, even to a train crash, is very low. We have to try and get it in perspective," Eldridge said.

But Edward Klinger, managing director of Ozonelink, which sells the family and pet kits, insists there is a need.

The government had already warned the public to be on alert for terrorist attacks, and even to stockpile some food and water, he noted.

"People are putting together all this background and asking: what am I meant to do beyond being alert and aware?" he said.

Around 15,000 people had rung his firm in recent weeks to ask for advice, Klinger said.

"A lot of these questions should really have been answered by the government," he said.

WAR.WIRE