Dress down to fool G20 rioters, bank staff told

Unprecedented measures are being put in place to prepare for thousands of protesters targeting the City and Canary Wharf in demonstrations starting on Saturday.

Among the extraordinary precautions being taken are:

● Thousands of staff are being told to stay at home and avoid the City altogether.

● Others have been warned not to wear suits and given guides to "dressing down", with chinos and loafers banned because they would make the employees obvious targets.

● An additional 2,500 police including riot units and intelligence officers are being deployed at a cost of £10 million to tackle any violence.

● Security consultants are giving firms constant updates on threat levels.

Banks, insurers, accountancy firms and brokerages have all circulated emails to staff giving them instructions on security. Fears of violence are rising after organisers warned that effigies of bankers, including Sir Fred Goodwin, would be burned from lamp posts.

Meanwhile, the group claiming responsibility for vandalising the former Royal Bank of Scotland chairman's home has threatened further action against "criminal" bank bosses.

The demonstrations, as 20 world leaders meet at the ExCeL centre in Docklands to discuss how to end the world recession, are expected to be the biggest in London this decade.

About 3,000 protesters are expected, with groups on Wednesday 1 April parading to the Bank of England, holding "flashcamps" outside the European

Climate Exchange in Bishopsgate, and marching on the US embassy. The following day demonstrators will target the ExCeL centre itself.

Police chiefs have briefed City firms on how to improve security. Memos have been circulated telling staff to stay indoors as much as possible.

One email, seen by the Standard, warns: "The front door is to be permanently locked during these two days. Protesters will be targeting banks which we are close to. Therefore we should limit any unnecessary visits outside the office, even at lunchtime."

The London Chamber of Commerce has told finance sector workers to "consider wearing more casual clothing".

Financial advisory group Bluefin has told employees not to go to its office in Mark Lane in the City unless absolutely necessary. A spokesman for the bank UBS said: "We are telling people to be cautious. If you have client meetings do you need to have them here?"

Chris Knight, professor of anthropology at the University of East London who is organising protests under the banner G20 Meltdown, said: "We are going to be hanging a lot of people like Fred the Shred from lamp posts on April Fool's Day and I can only say let's hope they are just effigies."