A black sports bag concealing nearly £1 million in bank notes was seized from a black cab driver attempting to ferry the payment across east London, Scotland Yard revealed on Friday.

The seizure of £943,000 in bank notes was made when officers pulled over the taxi and discovered a large holdall in the passenger compartment, amid a citywide clampdown on organised crime.

The disclosure comes as the force revealed that £73 million was seized from convicted criminals in the capital last year - the largest haul taken off London’s streets in the last 14 years.

Other sting operations resulted in the seizure of a suitcase containing £500,000 stashed in the back of another vehicle, a myriad of Class A drugs, and a red Ferrari 612.