Police have arrested a man in connection with an incident in which a car crashed into the gates outside 10 Downing Street.
Armed officers rushed to lock down the area around the Prime Minister's official residence after the silver hatchback smashed into the gates at around 4.20pm. Cops then arrested a man on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving.
Large sections of Whitehall have been closed to the public and vehicles, with pedestrians being turned away from the main thoroughfare around Downing Street in central London. There is a significant police presence in the area.
The Mirror reports that two police motorbikes have blocked the entrance to Whitehall from Parliament Square. Police vehicles have also barricaded the road from the Trafalgar Square end.
PM Rishi Sunak was at Number 10 at the time of the crash, according to the Associated Press. A convoy of armoured cars and police vehicles left Downing Street via a rear entrance moments after the motor struck the railings.
Eyewitness Simon Parry, 44, said: "I heard a bang and looked up and saw loads of police with taser guns shouting at the man. A lot of police vehicles came very quickly and were very quick to evacuate the area."
In a statement the Metropolitan Police said no-one had been injured following the incident, images of which have rapidly spread on social media. Video footage shared online showed a car heading straight for the gates at low speed.
Footage shot soon after from another angle showed a car with its boot open up against the tall metal gates, which are closed and guarded at all times. It is not immediately clear whether the crash was deliberate.
The Met Police said: "At approximately 16:20hrs on Thursday, 25 May a car collided with the gate of Downing Street on Whitehall. Armed officers arrested a man at the scene on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving. He has been taken into custody.
"There were no reports of any injuries. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances."
The gates were erected at Downing Street in 1989 in response to threats from IRA militants. The Met Police has since confirmed that the incident is not being treated as terrorism.
An updated statement read: "A small cordon remains in place outside Downing Street after a car collided with the gates earlier this afternoon. The incident is being dealt with by local officers in Westminster and isn't currently being treated as terror-related."
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