Britain's ferry ports have been put on their highest state of alert for at least two years because of fears of terrorists targeting ships, it was claimed today.
BBC Radio 4's Todayprogramme claimed the alert was issued last week after French and Dutch security services warned that terrorists would attempt to board a North Sea ferry in a truck loaded with explosives.
The intelligence is believed to have originated from the FBI, the programme said.
A secret bulletin issued to ports by Britain's transport security service Transec last Friday was said to have played down the warning.
But at the same time, all ports with roll-on, roll-off facilities were ordered on to a "heightened emergency" level of alert - the highest level provided for in the system - the BBC said.
The programme quoted a spokesman for Dover, Britain's busiest ferry port, as saying that port authorities had stepped up the searching of lorries.
Every building in the port was searched on Friday after a warning from a Government agency, but nothing was found, the spokesman said.
PA