*Britain gripped by letter bomb Explosions*

 From correspondents in London

February 08, 2007 05:32am
Article from: Agence France-Presse

BRITISH police issued a public warning overnight after the latest in a
series of letter bombs took the number of people injured to seven in
five days, fuelling fears of a concerted bombing campaign.

Both Prime Minister Tony Blair and Home Secretary John Reid voiced
concern over the attacks - several of which have targeted
motoring-related firms - after the latest incident left three people
injured in south Wales.

"Naturally, these incidents are worrying ... It is important that we
allow police to get on with their investigation without undue
speculation," Mr Reid said, in his first comments on the blasts.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said there had been
seven incidents in the last three weeks, and warned that the public must
be prepared for the risk that there will be more.

"I am appealing today for companies, organisations and individuals to
take extra care when handling mail," said Assistant Chief Constable
Anton Setchell, ACPO's national coordinator for domestic extremism.

"The packages received so far have caused minor injuries, but could have
been more serious," he said.

In the latest blast, three people were injured at the government's
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea, south Wales,
police said.

Initially only one person was reported hurt.

That followed blasts on Tuesday in London, at a firm dealing with
London's controversial congestion charge, and on Wednesday at a firm
west of London which reportedly manages speeding fines. It also emerged
that a previously-unreported device injured a householder in Folkestone,
Kent, on Sunday.

Before that, there were three other incidents last month in Birmingham
and Oxfordshire, Chief Constable Setchell said, adding that the name of
a dead animal rights campaigner was found on one of the devices.

Police have made no formal link between the blasts, but the British
press has speculated about the possibility of a disgruntled motorist
targeting authorities who control the roads in Britain.

One well-known campaigner against speeding fines, the self-styled
"Captain Gatso" of Motorists against Detection (MAD), said overnight he
did not condone letter bombs, but understood drivers' anger.

He cited the case of councils charging hundreds of pounds for residents'
parking permits, a situation particularly common in London.

"Before you've even turned the keys, they're hammering you in your
vehicle," said Gatso, whose name comes from a common make of roadside
speed camera.

"So something's got to give," he said, while adding that he "completely"
condemned the bombings.

Britain has been on high alert since July 2005 suicide bombings which
killed 56 people in London. There is no suggestion that the latest
bombings - all of them relatively small - have any links with Islamic
extremism.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, asked about the latest blast at his weekly
question-and-answer session in Parliament, said: "We are looking and
investigating very closely the incident concerned.

"Can I express my sympathy to all those people who have been caught up
in those incidents," he said. "As soon as we have some news that we can
properly give .. then we will do so."

Police chief Setchell said the devices were more like fireworks than
bombs, designed to shock rather than to seriously maim or kill.

But he said police are nonetheless taking them very seriously.

"We have had no contact from any group or organisation claiming any
responsibility or setting out their motivations," he said. "I want to
keep a completely open mind about the motivations behind these packages."