Avman
I don't accept what you call a lack of objectivity. Yes, my reply was tongue in cheek to a large extent, but the message remains valid.
However, answering your points.
Yes, the UK was on 'terror alert' to what extent, I can't recall. However the site in question was the second and went off over 24 hour after the first. So whatever level had been in place, was upped.
You are correct, the mortars from this site were fired at night. BUT that isn't when they were planted. Which was very much during the day, and in full view of the spotters, but who noticed nothing at all.
There was no dedicated viewing area at the time, QB having been closed for some time by then.
In the 11 years I was stationed at LHR, I cannot remember one instance of a spotter calling police for anything suspect. But, I can remember a lot of calls from airport staff about suspect objects and people, including in places where spotters had been, and apparently ignored it.
Again, I go back to the point I made, that we had been the subject of attacks from Irish Terrorism for years in the UK, and in spite of that, and Heathrow having been a target before, spotters provided nothing useful.
On the other hand, spotters did take up a great deal of time, both before and after the closure of QB.
The issues about parking in front of crash gates and RVP entrances remained about the same as before. As did the assumed rights of spotters to park in buisness premises on the East side, and tell the people that should be able to park there to Fox Oscar.
They didn't worry at all before after QB closed about dumping thier cars in say Emery Airfrieght and wandering off, leaving them blocked in. I could go on and on about it, but suffice to say that having seen it from the other side, the effect of them being there is way out of proportion to a preceived advantage.