A live counter-terrorism exercise a year before the Manchester Arena bombing was a “catastrophic failure” and would have led to even more loss of life had it been real, the inquiry has heard.

Firefighters and paramedics did not turn up for more than two hours after the police failed to call them forward during the 2016 exercise – a situation replicated on the night of the bombing.

On the night of the attack in May 2017, firefighters did not deploy to the arena for more than two hours because they could not get through to police – and only one paramedic entered the scene of the explosion in the first 40 minutes.

The inquiry is investigating whether any of the 22 victims could have been saved if the emergency services had reacted faster.

During the training exercise, a police inspector refused to let the fire and ambulance services into the inner cordon and the exercise was packing up by the time they finally arrived, the inquiry was told.

June Roby was the police inspector responsible for Exercise Winchester Accord, which mocked up a terrorist firearms attack at the Trafford shopping centre in May 2016.

Pete Weatherby QC, for the Arena victims’ families, asked: “Even in the context of a highly organised exercise with prompters in the wings, the exercise went catastrophically wrong in terms of the multi-agency response?”

“It would appear so, yes,” Mr Roby said.

North West Ambulance Service said that “if it had been real life it would have led to further loss of life” and Ms Roby accepted: “I can’t disagree with that.”

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service made the same point that the failure to call them up for 2 hours and 20 minutes was “likely to lead to the further loss of life”.

“That was a catastrophic failure?” Mr Weatherby asked.

“Yes,” the former inspector said.

Mr Weatherby suggested that the multi-agency aspect of the exercise was “not something taken particularly seriously by Greater Manchester Police”.

But Ms Roby insisted: “I disagree. If we weren’t taking it seriously, we wouldn’t have had any other agencies present.”

The inquiry continues.

Related posts:

Lottery winner ‘who took eyes off road to get teddy for son’ cleared of killing woman by dangerous driving High court judge fined and given penalty points for using mobile phone whilst driving Family pay tribute to ‘kind and strong’ Sarah Everard as they appeal for witnesses London’s Oxford Circus to be transformed with pedestrianisation to tackle congestion and air quality Wales beat Turkey 2-0 in vital Euro 2020 win despite Bale penalty miss Social care in England is ‘a tower of Jenga held together with Sellotape’, independent review warns All over-18s in England able to book jab from Friday – as Whitty warns of ‘surprises’ ahead Appeal after viral video shows two men dressed as police officers trying to enter London home Date confirmed for switch to lateral flow from PCR tests for fully vaccinated passengers COVID testing suspended at lab after estimated 43,000 people given wrong results Booster jabs rollout extended to over-40s and second doses recommended for 16 and 17 year olds Scotland rattled by small earthquake in middle of night