There will be another spectacular terrorist attack in the UK at some stage and hundreds, if not thousands, will be killed.

That's according to Chris Phillips, former head of the National Counter-Terrorism Security Office.

He made the comment after it was revealed that security services foiled a plot to blow up Downing Street and kill Theresa May. This is said to be the ninth terrorist plot foiled since March.

Phillips told Julia Hartley-Brewer: "I really think we’re going to have a spectacular terrorist attack at some stage where hundreds maybe even thousands of people are injured."

He continued by saying that the terrorists who perpetrated the Barcelona massacre in August had intended to detonate three large vehicle bombs, and if something like that actually happens "then you get thousands of people killed and injured. I’m convinced we're going to see that at some stage.

"Let’s think about this now and do something now whilst we’re not in that position.

"It needs some brave governments to come up with some control orders or something much stricter than we’ve got at the moment that does put people who are concerning [to the authorities] under much tighter guidelines.

"That’s not being done at the moment in fact the Conservatives watered down the control orders...and that’s rubbish, they are absolutely rubbish.

"Certainly I would consider that we need to do something about those people that we’re really scared of but have not yet committed offences."

Listen to the full interview above