Friday, 21 September, 2001, 10:30 GMT 11:30 UK

London Stock Exchange evacuated

The London Stock Exchange has been evacuated, following a security alert. The building, in the City of London, is largely an administrative centre, as all trading is done electronically.

The market will continue trading as normal.

The evacuation coincided with a dramatic sell-off in Europe's biggest share market, with the FTSE 100 index of leading shares down 4246.9m down 310, at 1036 GMT.

It comes at a time of heightened security following the 11 September terror attacks on the United States.

About 1,500 extra police are on the streets of London.

Traders have sited security fears as one of the reasons behind the recent sell-off of shares, which has seen the market plummet to five year lows.

A spokesman for the LSE did not give details of the security alert.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001