Terror threat downgraded.

THE terrorist threat level has been downgraded from "severe" to "substantial", home secretary Alan Johnson said today.

That means the official assessment of the danger of an attack in the near future has shifted from "highly likely" to a "strong possibility".

Mr Johnson said the country still faces a "real and serious" threat from terrorists and urged members of the public to remain vigilant.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, a unit within MI5, sets the level based on an analysis of intelligence.

There are five levels of threat, ranging from low - meaning an attack is unlikely, to critical - when an attack is expected imminently.