Thousands of people in Britain have signed a petition calling for armed security outside synagogues and Jewish schools over terror fears.

The petition by a Golders Green resident, Moses Hoffman, launched on the British government’s website, has so far received more than 5,000 signatures, the British media reported.

The petition says armed guards already protected Jewish institutions across Europe and that the UK needed to adopt the same measures.

“The threat level in Europe is getting worse and as evidenced, is turning from "anti-semitic assaults into terror attacks, with innocent people being murdered,’’ it says.

It continues, “According to the CST (Community Security Trust) Anti-Semitism in the UK is at its worst level since records began and the risk of an attack is increasing by the day. It is impossible for a policeman or security guard without a weapon to protect synagogues, schools and other institutions from terrorists who arm guns and knives."

Hoffman told the London Jewish News that he was convinced action needed to be taken following fatal attacks such as that on Copenhagen’s Grand Synagogue last February where a guard was killed.

“The Islamist terror threat and anti-Semitism as a whole are at their highest levels and as witnessed across europe and beyond, what used to be verbal and physical assaults have become fatal terror attacks, being carried out by gun and knife clad men,’’ he said.

Figures published by the CST have showed hate crimes against Jewish people rose by 137 per cent to 583 incidents last year in the UK.

Most of the crimes were linked to conflict in Gaza.