Fire crews and paramedics have been issued with bullet proof vests amid growing fears over a Paris-style gun attack on the UK, it was claimed tonight. Emergency response teams have also been given training in how to cope with a 'marauding' attack by Islamist fanatics which spreads across the country and lasts for days. It comes amid warnings that the threat from home-grown terrorists is at its highest level since 9/11 - with Home Secretary Theresa May revealing today that at least three serious terror plots have been foiled recently. Scroll down for video . The Home Secretary said the UK's anti-terror agencies were increasingly powerless to tracking British-based fanatics . Mrs May told MPs that innocent lives were being put 'at risk' by the failure to give the security services the powers they need to prevent a terrorist attack. She said the UK's anti-terror agencies were increasingly powerless to tracking British-based fanatics because the law stops them from monitoring emails. The Tory Cabinet Minister said every day that passed without giving MI5 and the police new powers meant 'crimes will go unpunished and innocent lives will be put at risk'. She also claimed that around 600 Britons are now thought to have travelled to Syria to fight on the front line with ISIS. Across Europe there are now thought to be up to 5,000 Islamist fanatics at large after returning from the Middle East. In a Commons statement this afternoon, Mrs May confirmed that Britain's counter-terror services were being given extra training in how to deal with a Paris-style attack - where marauding gunmen bring mayhem to the streets. It comes after David Cameron held talks with spy chiefs earlier this week to step up Britain's defences against the threat posed by a 'fanatical death cult of Islamist extremist violence'. According to the Telegraph, paramedics and fire crews are being taught how to work in buildings, airports and railway stations that may be booby-trapped with bombs. The Home Secretary told MPs that future training exercises will incorporate 'specific elements' of the Paris attacks, she said. Mrs May confirmed that Britain's counter-terror police will now be given extra training in how to deal with a Paris-style attack . Mrs May accused Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper (above) of not supporting new anti-terror powers for the police and security services . Training exercises involving the police, military and security agencies will be adapted in the wake of the murderous attacks in France last week which left 17 victims dead. The Prime Minister asked the police and military to 'continue to work closely together' to ensure that the police, who lead on counter-terror measures, can call on military back-up when needed across the country. Discussion centred on levels of preparedness for 'marauding' gun attacks, similar to those seen in Mumbai in 2008 when 164 people died in 12 shooting and bomb attacks over four days. Police and security agencies 'regularly' carry out training exercises to test their response to a terror attack, including scenarios similar to the incidents in Paris, Downing Street said. 'The meeting agreed that for future exercises, the relevant agencies should identify whether there are any further specific elements of the Paris attack that should be built into the exercise scenarios.' It is understood that particular focus has been on the way brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi moved from central Paris after carrying out their attack on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine. They are said to have spent a night in woodland before trying to return to the capital, before becoming holed up on an industrial estate in the small town of Dammartin-en-Goele. Terrorist brothers Cherif Kouachi (left) and Said Kouach (right) died after murdering 12 people in last week's gun rampage . Flowers lay outside Charlie Hebdo headquarters in Paris today - a week after the attack on the newspaper . While thousands of French police were focussed there, Amedy Coulibaly took several people hostage in a Jewish supermarket in the Vincennes district of eastern Paris, stretching resources further. British security teams are to assess their own ability to carry out large scale searches in urban and rural areas and react to the challenge of an incident which lasts several days. A Downing Street spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister held a security meeting in Downing St this morning to review the Paris attacks and the risks to the UK of a similar attack. 'Following an intelligence update, they discussed the UK's preparedness for similar incidents. The relevant police and agencies regularly carry out exercises to test their response to a terror attack, including scenarios similar to the incidents in Paris. 'The meeting agreed that for future exercises, the relevant agencies should identify whether there are any further specific elements of the Paris attack that should be built into the exercise scenarios. 'The Prime Minister also asked the police and military to continue to work closely together to ensure that the police can call on appropriate military assistance when required across the country. 'They also discussed the risk posed by firearms, agreeing that our existing tough firearms laws are a very important part of the protections we have and that we should step up our efforts with other countries to crackdown on the illegal smuggling of weapons across borders.' It comes as the UK's most senior firearms officer called for a new elite armed police unit to be on stand-by for Paris-style terror attacks. Mr Cameron has pledged to introduce 'more comprehensive' powers to monitor terror suspects in the UK. MI5 chief Andrew Parker warned last week that al Qaida terrorists in Syria were planning 'mass casualty attacks' against Western targets, and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said a terror attack in the UK was 'a possibility' - though he stressed he did not think it 'likely'.
Emergency teams  given training in how to cope with a 'marauding' attack .
Comes after Theresa May said police needed new powers to track fanatics .
Mrs May slammed Lib Dems for blocking bill to let spooks monitor emails .
She said 'innocent lives' being put at risk by failure to agree new powers .
Anti-terror police practising for Paris-style attacks in Britain, she reveals .
Mrs May told MPs an unannounced terror attack on UK was 'highly likely'
Fire crews and paramedics have been issued with bullet proof vests amid growing fears over a Paris-style gun attack on the UK, it was claimed tonight. Emergency response teams have also been given training in how to cope with a 'marauding' attack by Islamist fanatics which spreads across the country and lasts for days. It comes amid warnings that the threat from home-grown terrorists is at its highest level since 9/11 - with Home Secretary Theresa May revealing today that at least three serious terror plots have been foiled recently. Scroll down for video . The Home Secretary said the UK's anti-terror agencies were increasingly powerless to tracking British-based fanatics . Mrs May told MPs that innocent lives were being put 'at risk' by the failure to give the security services the powers they need to prevent a terrorist attack. She said the UK's anti-terror agencies were increasingly powerless to tracking British-based fanatics because the law stops them from monitoring emails. The Tory Cabinet Minister said every day that passed without giving MI5 and the police new powers meant 'crimes will go unpunished and innocent lives will be put at risk'. She also claimed that around 600 Britons are now thought to have travelled to Syria to fight on the front line with ISIS. Across Europe there are now thought to be up to 5,000 Islamist fanatics at large after returning from the Middle East. In a Commons statement this afternoon, Mrs May confirmed that Britain's counter-terror services were being given extra training in how to deal with a Paris-style attack - where marauding gunmen bring mayhem to the streets. It comes after David Cameron held talks with spy chiefs earlier this week to step up Britain's defences against the threat posed by a 'fanatical death cult of Islamist extremist violence'. According to the Telegraph, paramedics and fire crews are being taught how to work in buildings, airports and railway stations that may be booby-trapped with bombs. The Home Secretary told MPs that future training exercises will incorporate 'specific elements' of the Paris attacks, she said. Mrs May confirmed that Britain's counter-terror police will now be given extra training in how to deal with a Paris-style attack . Mrs May accused Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper (above) of not supporting new anti-terror powers for the police and security services . Training exercises involving the police, military and security agencies will be adapted in the wake of the murderous attacks in France last week which left 17 victims dead. The Prime Minister asked the police and military to 'continue to work closely together' to ensure that the police, who lead on counter-terror measures, can call on military back-up when needed across the country. Discussion centred on levels of preparedness for 'marauding' gun attacks, similar to those seen in Mumbai in 2008 when 164 people died in 12 shooting and bomb attacks over four days. Police and security agencies 'regularly' carry out training exercises to test their response to a terror attack, including scenarios similar to the incidents in Paris, Downing Street said. 'The meeting agreed that for future exercises, the relevant agencies should identify whether there are any further specific elements of the Paris attack that should be built into the exercise scenarios.' It is understood that particular focus has been on the way brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi moved from central Paris after carrying out their attack on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine. They are said to have spent a night in woodland before trying to return to the capital, before becoming holed up on an industrial estate in the small town of Dammartin-en-Goele. Terrorist brothers Cherif Kouachi (left) and Said Kouach (right) died after murdering 12 people in last week's gun rampage . Flowers lay outside Charlie Hebdo headquarters in Paris today - a week after the attack on the newspaper . While thousands of French police were focussed there, Amedy Coulibaly took several people hostage in a Jewish supermarket in the Vincennes district of eastern Paris, stretching resources further. British security teams are to assess their own ability to carry out large scale searches in urban and rural areas and react to the challenge of an incident which lasts several days. A Downing Street spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister held a security meeting in Downing St this morning to review the Paris attacks and the risks to the UK of a similar attack. 'Following an intelligence update, they discussed the UK's preparedness for similar incidents. The relevant police and agencies regularly carry out exercises to test their response to a terror attack, including scenarios similar to the incidents in Paris. 'The meeting agreed that for future exercises, the relevant agencies should identify whether there are any further specific elements of the Paris attack that should be built into the exercise scenarios. 'The Prime Minister also asked the police and military to continue to work closely together to ensure that the police can call on appropriate military assistance when required across the country. 'They also discussed the risk posed by firearms, agreeing that our existing tough firearms laws are a very important part of the protections we have and that we should step up our efforts with other countries to crackdown on the illegal smuggling of weapons across borders.' It comes as the UK's most senior firearms officer called for a new elite armed police unit to be on stand-by for Paris-style terror attacks. Mr Cameron has pledged to introduce 'more comprehensive' powers to monitor terror suspects in the UK. MI5 chief Andrew Parker warned last week that al Qaida terrorists in Syria were planning 'mass casualty attacks' against Western targets, and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said a terror attack in the UK was 'a possibility' - though he stressed he did not think it 'likely'.
Paris-style gun attack on the UK, it was claimed given training in how to cope with a 'marauding' British-based fanatics . Mrs May told MPs that innocent lives were being put 'at risk' by the police unit to be on stand-by for Paris-style introduce 'more comprehensive' powers to monitor