THE Met police chief has criticised an order that caused millions of phone calls to be blocked on the day of the London bombings.

City of London police told firm O2 to limit calls near the Aldgate Tube bombing, despite the main command centre's decision not to do so.

"I don't think it was appropriate," Sir Ian Blair told a London Assembly inquiry into the July 7 events on Wednesday. "I don't think it helped."

For nearly five hours, the network switched to "access overload control" (ACCOLC) in a one-kilometre-radius around the station, where seven people died.

It meant only specific emergency workers could use phones in the area. Other calls were blocked between noon and 4.45pm.

But the order was made 90 minutes after the Gold Command unit of police and emergency bosses decided not to use the powers. They believed a shutdown would hamper rescue work and cause public panic.

Sir Ian said the Met has "reflected" on the mix-up. He reiterated his view that the Met should take over control of the City of London police, which polices London's financial district.

He praised the overall emergency response. Upon seeing all the cordons and equipment in place at the Edgware Road bombing, a fire chief told the commissioner on July 7: "It was quite eerie, it really did feel like an exercise."

The attacks by four suicide bombers on a bus and three Tube trains killed 52 innocent people.

Repeat 'inevitable'

Mayor Ken Livingstone, who was in Singapore for the London Olympic bid at the time of the blasts, said little would have changed if he had been in the capital. The system was designed to work when "decapitated", and "it did".

But he said a repeat of the attacks is inevitable. "It takes two or three disaffected young men to access the internet and they have all they need to know to go and kill ten or 20 people."

This time, London will have more resources, he added. "We will be able to handle the next wave of attacks better than this."