Jurors in a transatlantic jet terror trial have seen footage of the devastation wreaked by replica liquid bombs.

Eight British Muslims are accused of plotting to launch co-ordinated suicide attacks on passenger jets flying from London's Heathrow Terminal Three to the US and Canada.

The eight were arrested on August 9, 2006, following a surveillance operation inside an alleged bomb factory in Walthamstow, east London. The gang allegedly plotted to make bombs disguised as soft drink bottles and smuggle them on board planes.

A jury at the Woolwich Crown Court was shown high-speed film of the explosion of one improvised device which was carried out inside a reinforced chamber at a Government laboratory.

One camera a few feet away was totally destroyed and the protective 12mm glass in front of a second was broken by the force of one of the blasts which used different ratios of hydrogen peroxide (HP) and a sugary powdered drink named Tang.

Previously, prosecutor Peter Wright QC said the defendants planned to inject the liquid into the base of the bottles for them to appear untouched. The detonator, the prosecution said, would be concealed inside AA 1.5 volt batteries and plugged with foam. This would then be initiated with a power source such as a disposable camera.

After the footage was shown, judge Mr Justice Calvert-Smith challenged the prosecution on the relevance of viewing such hypothetical tests.

He said the jury's central concerns must remain whether anybody would have been killed by such an explosion and if it would have endangered an aircraft.

He said: "We have to deal with fact. This is a conspiracy rather than actually causing an explosion or murder."

The defendants on trial include: Abdulla Ahmed Ali, aka Ahmed Ali Khan, 27, of Prospect Hill, Walthamstow, east London, Assad Sarwar, 27, of Walton Drive, High Wycombe, Bucks, Tanvir Hussain, 27, of Nottingham Road, Leyton, east London, Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Priory Road, Barking, east London, Ibrahim Savant, 27, of Denver Road, Stoke Newington, north London, Arafat Waheed Khan, 26, of Farnan Avenue, Walthamstow, Waheed Zaman, 23, of Queen's Road, Walthamstow and Umar Islam, aka, Brian Young, 30 of Bushey Road, Plaistow, east London.

They deny conspiracy to murder.

Scientist Keith Ritchie told the court that the test explosion took place at Fort Halstead in Sevenoaks, Kent. Mr Ritchie said the room was a "heavy block cell designed to withstand explosions up to a certain power".

Jurors were shown still photographs of the chamber before and after the explosion.

The plastic panels lining the chamber were blown on to the floor and the stand on which the bomb was placed was destroyed.

The judge, Mr Justice Calvert-Smith told jurors that they should focus on the possible effect of such a device on a plane and passengers.

But he added that there was no evidence the plotters ever manufactured a working homemade bomb and said: "This is a charge of conspiracy, not an allegation there was an actual attempt."

The trial was adjourned until Wednesday.

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