From the City to factories, a nation pays its silent tribute

Across Britain yesterday people's thoughts turned to those lost in the terrorist attacks on 11 September as heightened security provided a reminder that a threat remained.

Across Britain yesterday people's thoughts turned to those lost in the terrorist attacks on 11 September as heightened security provided a reminder that a threat remained.

Thousands of services, grand and simple, marked the anniversary, while the nation fell silent at the precise moment the first plane hit the World Trade Centre.

In the City, trading came to a halt as workers remembered friends and colleagues killed at the heart of New York's financial centre. The London Stock Exchange observed two-minutes' silence at 1.46pm – along with firms across the country.

"It was quite eerie," said Jonathan Mathew of Barclays Capital. "You don't often hear a trading floor with no phones ringing and no speakers going."

The sombre atmosphere was reflected on the markets, which were notable for quiet trading, with low volumes and a lack of major blue-chip announcements.

Heathrow airport came to a standstill at 1.46pm. Shops suspended trading and passengers rushing for planes stopped in their tracks. A Muslim man knelt on the floor at the centre of terminal 3, pointing towards Mecca in prayer. The strength of feeling still generated by the memory of the attacks in New York and Washington was evident when more than 200 workers at the Peugeot parts centre in Coventry walked out after the company refused to order an official silence.

Bill McAuley, senior steward for the T&G trade union, said: "One of the workers took out a pocket radio and on the signal we exercised our right in observing the silence like millions of people all over the world."

A spokesman for the car company confirmed that some of its staff had opted to "independently observe the silence" before coming back to work.

Hundreds of people gathered in Albert Square, Manchester, as the city's Lord Mayor, Roy Walters, invited them to join him in the remembrance. A child representing each faith in the local community came forward to light candles.

But neither the potential threat of attack nor the sombre mood of the day kept workers away. An expected desertion of staff failed to materialise as most chose defiant optimism over fear. At Canary Wharf in London's Docklands, long considered a prime target and home to several of the country's tallest buildings, most office staff turned up as usual.

Franco Anandarajah, manager of Eat in the Wharf, said: "The company reduced stock by 5 per cent because we thought there would be less people but there were only very slightly less than normal."

Despite the cancellation of several transatlantic flights, business was operating close to normal capacity at airports.

A massive security operation was launched throughout the country, with armed police manning roadblocks in parts of London. British diplomatic missions across the world were closed as a precaution.