PANIC-buyers have snapped up a record number of gas masks since the terrorist attacks on America, a Worcestershire army surplus store owner revealed today.

Sean Kerr said he had sold around 500 gas masks during the past week, and nearly a fifth of them had been bought by Worcester residents.

He said business workers and families had been buying the masks fearing a chemical attack.

"A Worcester man came into my store the other day and bought two masks for his kids, one for his wife and one for himself," he said.

"He was taking it very seriously and was worried about a chemical attack."

Mr Kerr, the owner of the Army Surplus and Adventure store at Flyford Flavell, near Inkberrow, said the number of masks he was selling had rocketed since last year.

He said that recently 150 gas masks had been sent to New York, 250 to London and a handful to Texas. A large majority had been bought on-line from the store's website.

"They seem to be most popular with people who are working in the financial world," he said.

Mr Kerr said the most popular was a British S10 gas mask, a new make often used by the British Army for training.

"All the gas masks come with a new filter which last about six hours, but you can buy additional filters," he said.

"The problem is the limited supply of them, because usually only collectors would buy them."

Mr Kerr said emergency food packs had also been ordered and bought from his store in the Conebury Farm Complex. The packs were airtight and could be preserved for 20 years.

"This panic buying resulting from the attack is scary," he added.