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Four people have been injured after a black cab mounted the pavement and hit pedestrians at a busy tourist hotspot in central London.

Scotland Yard said a taxi had crashed into people in Southampton Street near Covent Garden at about 5pm.

Initial reports from witnesses suggested people were trapped beneath the taxi after the crash.

The incident is not believed to be terror-related but the driver has been detained.

Scores of emergency services rushed to the scene and police cleared panicked bystanders from the area.

Westminster MPS confirmed it was dealing with a "serious injury accident involving a taxi" and said that casualties were being treated by London Ambulance Service.

LAS said one person was rushed to hospital with a major leg injury and two others were taken to hospital for minor injuries.

A fourth was treated at the scene.

A Met Police spokesman added: "It is not being treated as anything other than a collision.

"Police were called at 5.01pm on Wednesday to reports of a taxi in collision with pedestrians in Southampton Street, WC2.

"Officers and the other emergency services attended the scene.

"We are aware of injuries but await further confirmation. The driver of the taxi stopped at the scene and has been detained by police.

"This is being treated as a serious road traffic collision, and not thought to be terrorist related."

People on social media described hearing a "loud bang" before seeing panicked pedestrians fleeing the area and running down the nearby Strand.

Others were locked inside nearby bars as police rushed to establish what had happened.

Tom Fisher, 22, was with friends in nearby cocktail bar Dirty Martini and was locked in when the incident happened.

“We were in a bar having a drink, then the manager shouted to everyone that they’ve had to lock the doors because of an incident outside," he told the Standard.

“They turned the music off and everyone sat there not knowing what was going on! Then people started to say that people heard a loud noise and everyone was running away.”

Photographs on social media showed a black taxi on the pavement behind orange roadworks barriers outside the Jubilee Market Hall.

A number of bystanders appeared to be helping injured people on the ground beside the vehicle.

Witness Ed Hoppitt posted: "Just came within meters of being hit by a vehicle that mounted the pavement and ploughed into people. #CoventGarden people down under taxi."