LIVERPOOL hoteliers are the first in the country to be given specialist training from MI5 experts about how to cope with terrorist attacks.

Officials from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NACTSO) were recently in the city for the pioneering conference.

Most of Liverpool’s major hotels attended the event at the city centre Chamber of Commerce offices.

Security teams from the Hard Day’s Night, Holiday Inn, Radisson, Echo Arena, Ibis/Formula One, Novotel, Marriott, Jury's Inn, Adelphi and The Liner were among those present.

Delegates were shown a terrorist attack on a typical city centre hotel comprising of two conference facilities, three restaurants, a gymnasium and 250 bedrooms.

It showed a hotel subjected to a car bomb attack followed by an invasion of hostile and armed terrorists.

A DVD provided a range of scenarios for the Liverpool hotel teams to manage, increasing their skills in dealing with high-risk, unpredictable situations. Called Operation Argus, three more events will take place in Liverpool before the end of the year as the UK terror alert remains at “substantial”.