I am glad that our Labour MP, Andrew Smith, voted to support the Government on the 42-day issue.

I had a narrow escape in the 1970s.

My mother had taken me shopping in London's Oxford Street for a Holy Communion dress.

We were on the top floor of Selfridges and I was undressing in a changing room.

Suddenly, an assistant stuck her head through the curtain and told me that the store was having a fire drill and I needed to get dressed quickly, but not to panic.

Since I was familiar with fire drills at my convent school, I calmly got dressed.

When I left the changing cubicle, I was surprised to see that the entire floor was deserted, apart from my mother who was fervently reciting the Lord's Prayer.

We descended three or four sets of escalators and all the time my annoyingly religious mother was reciting a litany of prayers.

Each floor was completely deserted. It was very surreal, but I was not worried as I thought it was only a routine fire drill.

Finally, we arrived on the ground floor and a lone person ushered us to a side exit.

As I got out into the sunshine, there were hordes of people running so I joined in, not really knowing why.

Seconds later, the IRA bomb exploded at the front of Selfridges in the adjacent street.

I still find it hard to comprehend how lucky we were, but I guess my mother's prayers were answered that day.

All those daft MPs who objected to the Bill are completely misguided.

They should lock terrorists up and throw away the key.

SUSAN THOMAS Magdalen Road Oxford