City of London street evacuated after suspicious vehicle spotted near Gherkin building

Police later deemed the vehicle non-suspicious but arrested the driver for having false identity documents

Police cordoned off roads surrounding the Gherkin skyscraper in central London to investigate a suspicious vehicle.

A bomb disposal robot was used to inspect a silver Ford Focus parked outside the skyscraper.

After the remotely operated unit was deployed, police officers were seen opening the boot of the car.

Witnesses then reported that a controlled explosion took place.

Meanwhile some office workers were instructed to take cover in the building’s stairwell.

Armed police were seen guarding the building and several businesses nearby closed while the incident was investigated.

City of London Police later issued a statement which said: “We can confirm all road closures in the area surrounding St Mary Axe (EC3) have been lifted and the vehicle has been deemed non-suspicious. The driver of the vehicle has been arrested for possession of false identity documents.”

In September Liverpool Street Station was evacuated after a suspicious package was found, and a week later hundreds of people were evacuated from Tower Hill Station after a mobile phone charger exploded on the Tube.

Earlier in September an attack on a District Line Tube train at Parsons Green Station, injured 30 people. Isis claimed responsibility for the attack.

The UK's terror alert level remains at "severe", meaning further attacks are considered highly likely.