The Bishopsgate Bomb: Thousands of workers to be barred from offices

THOUSANDS of workers displaced from their offices by the Bishopsgate bomb threaten to bring chaos to the City of London today.

The Corporation of London estimated last night that between 10 and 15 per cent of the City's 250,000 employees worked in the area affected by the explosion. It said people should contact their employers before setting out for work to find out if they would be able to gain access to their offices or if an alternative had been arranged.

Michael Cassidy, chairman of the Corporation's policy and resources committee, said he was worried that workers might turn up and try to get into cordoned-off offices.

The police initially closed off an area a quarter of a mile square but by last night a much smaller area remained inaccessible to the public. Liverpool Street station is also expected to reopen. Access to the cordoned-off area will continue to be severely restricted.

Almost all the businesses within the cordon have been contacted but the Corporation was also setting up facilties at Guildhall to help any workers unsure where they should go. The Lord Mayor of London, Sir Francis McWilliams, asked commuters to allow extra time for their journeys because of the extra congestion expected in the City.

Corporation engineering staff and police have been working through the weekend to identify unsafe buildings. They believe five or six have been structurally damaged and one may have to be demolished.

Peter Bennett, the deputy surveyor, said: 'Most of the buildings in the central core area have structural damage. Some could be reclad but Kansallis House, a late 1960s building just opposite the Hongkong and Shanghai bank headquarters in Bishopsgate where the bomb was, is probably damaged beyond repair. The concrete has shattered at ground floor level and there is bowing in the front wall.'

Most of the companies in the area of maximum damage are in banking and finance. Particularly affected are the National Westminster Bank's tower, the tallest in the City, and the UK headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) at 99 Bishopsgate.

The 1,300 staff who work at the NatWest tower are likely to be relocated to the bank's other premises in the City. The tower has not suffered structural damage, but it will be several weeks before it can reopen. Most key staff have been told where to report, with a telephone hot- line set up for others, and Derek Wanless, the bank's group chief executive, pledged that despite the blast all its businesses would be operational.

However, it has had to relocate its annual shareholders' meeting, due to be held in the main hall at the tower tomorrow. The meeting will be held at the Brewery in Chiswell Street.

The HSBC headquarters, where the body of Edward Henty, a News of the World photographer, was found under rubble, normally accommodates 600 staff as well as several other financial companies, including the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the Saudi International Bank.

Non-essential staff who work for HSBC are being told not to turn up to work, while alternative accommodation is arranged at three other premises owned by group. Nevertheless the bank hopes to have about half of its staff back at work later this week and by next Monday it expects to be operating normally from the other sites.

British Telecom has set up a helpline for business wanting calls rerouted in the wake of the bombing. The freefone number is 0800 622245.