Rule 8.3 - MERSEY DOCKS & HARBOUR

FORM 8.3 Lodge with a RIS or Newstrack, if appropriate, and the Takeover Panel. Use separate form for each class of securities in which dealings have been made. Date of Disclosure 28 April 2005 DISCLOSURE UNDER RULES 8.1(a), 8.1(b) (i) and 8.3 OF THE CITY CODE ON TAKEOVERS AND MERGERS Date of Dealing 27 April 2005 Dealing in MERSEY DOCKS & HARBOUR (1) Class of securities (eg ordinary shares) ORD GBP 0.10 (2) Amount bought Amount sold Price per unit 0 430 9.5600 0 1,400 9.5046 0 2,067 9.5100 Barclays PLC is party to certain CFD transactions (see below). The resultant holdings total includes hedges against CFDs (short 18,125 shares). (3) Resultant total of the same class owned or controlled (and percentage of class) 1,211,722 (1.55%) (4) Party making disclosure Barclays PLC (5) EITHER (a) Name of purchaser / vendor (Note 1) (b) if dealing for discretionary clients, name of fund management organisation Barclays PLC (6) Reason for disclosure (Note 2) (a) associate of (i) offeror (Note 3) NO (ii) offeree NO Specify which category or categories of associate (1-8 overleaf) (b) Rule 8.3 (I.e disclosure because of ownership or control of 1% or more of the class of relevant securities dealt in) YES Signed for and on behalf of the party named in (4) above Geoff Smith Telephone and extension number 0207 116 2913 Form 8 Enclosure A purchaser of a CFD will realise a gain if the price of the underlying security goes up. A seller of a CFD will realise a gain if the price of the underlying security goes down. The CFD contracts are open ended and there is no rollover into new contracts. Contracts for Differences Trade Date Buy/Sell Quantity Open Price Mersey Docks & Harbour CFD Long/ Short Long 16/09/2004 B 400 7.4250 Long 17/09/2004 B 883 7.4483 Long 20/09/2004 B 300 7.4200 Long 21/09/2004 B 507 7.4500 Long 22/09/2004 B 566 7.5000 Long 23/09/2004 B 1,366 7.5300 Long 24/09/2004 B 949 7.5283 Long 27/09/2004 B 2,083 7.6464 Long 27/09/2004 B 60 7.6445 Short 28/09/2004 S 693 7.5300 Short 01/10/2004 S 888 7.3600 Short 04/10/2004 S 1,940 7.3250 Long 05/10/2004 B 2,085 7.4726 Long 07/10/2004 B 2,794 7.5535 Long 08/10/2004 B 1,106 7.6300 Short 11/10/2004 S 1,600 7.5293 Long 12/10/2004 B 331 7.6000 Short 13/10/2004 S 1,455 7.5250 Long 15/10/2004 B 1,153 7.7950 Short 18/10/2004 S 1,500 7.8050 Long 20/10/2004 B 1,141 7.9850 Long 22/10/2004 B 600 7.9900 Long 25/10/2004 B 1,727 7.9400 Long 28/10/2004 B 1,384 7.9389 Long 02/11/2004 B 100 8.0650 Long 03/11/2004 B 3,194 8.3374 Long 04/11/2004 B 2,028 8.3950 Long 05/11/2004 B 1,200 8.4100 Long 08/11/2004 B 1,474 8.5076 Long 08/11/2004 B 2,024 8.5079 Long 10/11/2004 B 721 8.4993 Long 10/11/2004 B 2,027 8.5140 Long 10/11/2004 B 4,575 9.1910 Short 12/11/2004 S 4,121 9.2691 Long 15/11/2004 B 550 9.3200 Long 15/11/2004 B 600 9.3450 Long 16/11/2004 B 2,000 9.3375 Short 23/11/2004 S 9,185 8.8471 Short 24/11/2004 S 4,792 8.8685 Short 24/11/2004 S 1,522 8.8481 Short 25/11/2004 S 4,900 8.9773 Short 25/11/2004 S 4,305 8.9587 Short 29/11/2004 S 1,173 8.8550 Short 29/11/2004 S 2,002 8.9024 Short 01/12/2004 S 1,100 8.9342 Long 02/12/2004 B 200 8.9700 Short 02/12/2004 S 1,200 8.9933 Long 03/12/2004 B 300 8.9950 Short 03/12/2004 S 967 8.9550 Short 03/12/2004 S 849 8.9550 Long 06/12/2004 B 2,151 8.9522 Long 06/12/2004 B 849 9.0450 Short 07/12/2004 S 3,502 9.3175 Short 07/12/2004 S 23 9.1200 Long 08/12/2004 B 179 9.2600 Long 08/12/2004 B 3,502 9.3124 Short 09/12/2004 S 1,800 9.2872 Long 10/12/2004 B 100 9.3200 Short 13/12/2004 S 3,700 9.3029 Long 14/12/2004 B 1,100 9.3350 Short 15/12/2004 S 423 9.2391 Long 17/12/2004 B 1,280 9.3037 Short 22/12/2004 S 436 9.3425 Long 24/12/2004 B 500 9.3450 Short 29/12/2004 S 806 9.3000 Short 30/12/2004 S 670 9.3000 Long 05/01/2005 B 1,472 9.3890 Long 10/01/2005 B 500 9.3950 Long 13/01/2005 B 587 9.3900 Short 13/01/2005 S 800 9.3568 Short 14/01/2005 S 1,963 9.6281 Short 17/01/2005 S 6,400 9.7237 Long 18/01/2005 B 662 9.4950 Short 18/01/2005 S 7,426 9.4783 Short 19/01/2005 S 8,743 9.5397 Short 20/01/2005 S 3,819 9.5525 Short 21/01/2005 S 17,207 9.8762 Short 24/01/2005 S 5,658 9.8014 Short 25/01/2005 S 12,060 9.7744 Short 26/01/2005 S 5,915 9.8200 Short 27/01/2005 S 4,933 9.7979 Short 28/01/2005 S 7,322 9.7883 Short 31/01/2005 S 16,200 9.7764 Short 01/02/2005 S 9,994 9.7803 Short 01/02/2005 S 3,799 9.7700 Short 02/02/2005 S 11,365 9.9181 Short 02/02/2005 S 7,658 9.9736 Short 03/02/2005 S 16,289 9.9058 Short 03/02/2005 S 2,639 9.9063 Short 04/02/2005 S 5,599 9.8829 Short 04/02/2005 S 12,501 9.8814 Short 07/02/2005 S 3,302 9.8621 Long 08/02/2005 B 2,800 9.8300 Short 08/02/2005 S 6,096 9.8383 Short 08/02/2005 S 5,892 9.8468 Short 09/02/2005 S 2,957 9.8400 Long 14/02/2005 B 1,400 9.8100 Long 15/02/2005 B 8,544 9.7991 Long 16/02/2005 B 15,802 9.7602 Long 17/02/2005 B 2,500 9.7650 Long 18/02/2005 B 1,400 9.7750 Long 21/02/2005 B 13,644 9.7602 Long 22/02/2005 B 6,604 9.7686 Long 23/02/2005 B 8,083 9.7519 Long 24/02/2005 B 6,154 9.7291 Long 28/02/2005 B 4,230 9.7450 Long 02/03/2005 B 5,760 9.7425 Long 07/03/2005 B 300 9.8250 Long 08/03/2005 B 3,000 9.7520 Long 10/03/2005 B 5,565 9.7456 Long 14/03/2005 B 6,852 9.7424 Long 15/03/2005 B 1,200 9.7200 Long 16/03/2005 B 4,827 9.6842 Long 17/03/2005 B 3,800 9.7022 Long 18/03/2005 B 906 9.7500 Long 21/03/2005 B 600 9.6400 Long 22/03/2005 B 3,700 9.7377 Long 23/03/2005 B 7,583 9.6809 Long 23/03/2005 B 5,137 9.6847 Short 23/03/2005 S 397 9.6550 Short 24/03/2005 S 1,000 9.6685 Long 29/03/2005 B 3,777 9.7219 Long 29/03/2005 B 3,714 9.7157 Long 30/03/2005 B 4,800 9.6925 Long 30/03/2005 B 4,000 9.6870 Long 01/04/2005 B 500 9.6750 Long 01/04/2005 B 1,900 9.6821 Long 04/04/2005 B 2,191 9.6791 Long 04/04/2005 B 800 9.6800 Long 05/04/2005 B 200 9.7250 Long 07/04/2005 B 100 9.7150 Long 08/04/2005 B 400 9.7350 Long 11/04/2005 B 1,100 9.7727 Long 11/04/2005 B 200 9.7600 Long 12/04/2005 B 1,214 9.7129 Long 13/04/2005 B 586 9.7913 Long 14/04/2005 B 1,900 9.6802 Long 14/04/2005 B 1,640 9.6597 Long 15/04/2005 B 2,900 9.6083 Long 15/04/2005 B 4,018 9.6425 Long 18/04/2005 B 3,660 9.6022 Long 18/04/2005 B 5,068 9.6029 Short 19/04/2005 S 1,524 9.5618 Long 20/04/2005 B 300 9.6600 Long 22/04/2005 B 400 9.6450 Long 26/04/2005 B 2,200 9.5815 Long 26/04/2005 B 2,949 9.5810 Long 27/04/2005 B 1,400 9.5046 Long 27/04/2005 B 2,067 9.5100