The Conservatives have renewed their call for the government to increase public awareness of the threat from terrorism.

The shadow minister for homeland security, Patrick Mercer, warned on Wednesday that the conviction of an al Qaeda terrorist in Belgium showed the continuing threat from Islamic extremist terror groups.

He called on the government to make the public more aware of the risks.

Mercer repeated criticism raised by security experts over the weekend that Britain was badly prepared for a major disaster, such as a large-scale terrorist attack, because of under-funding.

He highlighted the fact that during the trial of Nizar Trabelsi, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for plotting to blow up a NATO airbase, it was revealed that he had often visited al Qaeda agents in London.

"The arrest, trial and sentencing of Nizar Trabelsi show just how potent al Qaeda and other terrorist cells were, and probably still are, in Europe," said Mercer.

"Anybody that thinks the threat has gone away is very much mistaken. The government must act quickly to raise people's awareness and to deter terrorists before it is too late."