For centuries they have guarded prisoners at the Tower of London and defended the Crown Jewels on behalf of the nation.

But now the Yeomen Warders of the Tower say they have another threat to face - the Mayor of London and his new tax on older vehicles.

The Yeomen, more commonly known as Beefeaters, have hit out at Sadiq Khan’s decision to impose an additional 'T-charge' on cars and vans to tackle high pollution levels in the capital.

They say the daily £10 fee discriminates against people like themselves who live and work within the existing congestion charge zone.

Although as residents the Beefeaters would benefit from a 90 per cent reduction in the charge, they point out that since they live at the Tower of London they have little choice about having to pay it.