RETAIL staff and shoppers could have been caught up in a terror attack after a court heard of a plan to bomb Bluewater on a busy Saturday.

The plot was revealed on day two of the trial of seven men who trained in Pakistan terror camps and are suspected of having links with al-Qaeda.

The Old Bailey heard how police and secret agents had spent two months prior to the gang's arrest, spying on their homes and recording conversations.

On March 19, 2004, one of the defendants Waheed Mahmood, aged 34, is said to have talked about a "little explosion at Bluewater tomorrow if you want.

"I don't know how big it would be, we haven't tested it, but we could tomorrow".

All seven British defendants, who are accused of conspiring to cause explosions likely to endanger life between January 2003 and March 2004, deny the charges against them.

The trial is expected to last for five months.

A spokesman for the shopping centre said: "Bluewater in partnership with Kent Police take security very seriously and procedures are in place."