Just a bad morning commute in London... or something worse?

Like thousands of other commuters, I was resigned to "the usual tube problems" when around 9:20am this morning the tube I was on came to a halt at Oxford Circus and the driver announced that "due to a power failure" the train would be going no further.

This has happened before of course, so along with everyone else I traipsed up onto Oxford Street and decided to walk to my office in the square mile, near St. Paul's. In these situations there's usually no chance of getting on a bus - but a number 25 pulled up where I was so I crammed on. It was so crowded that the driver said the rules prevented him from continuing, but sensing that he might have a revolt on his hands if he didn't move, off we went.

As we drove along by Holborn, I could see lots of police, ambulances and helicopters. This was my first inkling that something might be amiss. By the time I got to St. Paul's the streets were crowded with people trying to walk to work. Mobile phones not working now because of congestion - I guess everyone is trying to call the office to say they are late.

Safely in the office around 10am, I settled down to work: but almost immediately we could see TV news reports which initially said that there had been a power surge which had caused some explosions - but could this really be credible as explosions were by now being reported at several widely dispersed stations, as well as on busses. Concern increased as a corporate comms email arrived asking us to count heads and report any missing staff to our line managers.

The picture seems to be emerging of a coordinated attack. Given the timing following yesterday's Olympics announcement, and I suppose the G8 conference up in Scotland, someone is clearly trying to make a point. Misguided Cowardly Bastards.

I hope that there have not been too many injuries or deaths. My heart goes out to anyone affected, and their families.

Andy