London trade holds up as club escapes bombing
London operators say trade is holding up in the capital despite the scare caused by last week's attempted bomb attack outside Tiger Tiger nightclub in Haymarket in the capital's West End.
Police defused a "potentially viable explosive device" in a car parked outside the venue in the early hours of last Friday morning. Later on Friday, another car bomb was found and defused in nearby Park Lane.
But there has been no repeat of the situation experienced after the London tube and bus bombings of 7 July 2005, when operators reported sluggish trade in the centre of the city as punters kept away.
Peter Linacre, boss of multiple operator Massive, said: "I think the reality is there's a complete difference between one of these things failing to go off and actually going off.
"People are just getting on with it. I think people in Haymarket would have suffered, but our own West End sites have done OK."
Glendola Leisure managing director Alex Salussolia said: "What I'm hearing is that it's not as bad as it could have been.
"Evening business took a slight hit in the West End at the weekend, but there were other factors [affecting trade], such as the weather and Saturday's Gay Pride march."
A spokeswoman from Novus Leisure, which owns Tiger Tiger, said: "Many restaurants, bars and businesses in the area experienced disruption. We continue to liaise closely with the police and authorities.
"Tiger Tiger reopened at 4pm on Saturday 30 June. Now, it's back to business as usual."
Threat is real and enduring
Licensees and operators are warned to be extra vigilant after the attacks.
The National Counter Terrorism Security Office (Nactso) has warned that terrorists are looking at soft targets, such as licensed venues.
Nactso has produced a guide for pubs and clubs about countering the threat, available from
www.nactso.gov.uk.
The incident outside Tiger Tiger follows revelations earlier this year that terrorists planned to attack London's Ministry of Sound nightclub.
Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Peter Clarke said: "The threat from terrorism is real, here and enduring. Life must go on, but we must all stay alert to the threat we face as we go about our daily lives."
