THE inquest into the deaths of 52 people caught up in the July 7 bombings is finally set to open today.

Seven people from Haringey died in the blasts on three Underground trains and a London bus in 2005, carried out by four Islamic extremists.

The inquest, which is expected to run into next year at the Royal Courts of Justice, will consider what happened on that day, and whether security services could have prevented the blasts.

Around 700 people were also injured in the co-ordinated attack, which happened at rush hour and left the capital's transport network paralysed.

The inquest, presided over by Lady Justice Heather Hallett, will also look at the emergency services' response to the events of that day and the backgrounds of the bombers Mohammed Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain and Jermaine Lindsay.