Public safety

Dirty bomb response units cut as terror threat rises

Britain’s capacity to cope with the aftermath of a “dirty bomb” attack is to be slashed by a third next week, The Times has learnt.

Twenty-two fire service squads able to decontaminate chemical or radioactive attack sites are to be decommissioned by New Year’s Eve. The move will leave 43 incident response units (IRUs) operating in England, after the rest were deemed “surplus to requirements” in a government review.