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A man is reported to have thrown petrol over himself outside the Houses of Parliament.

A huge police response was triggered after the unidentified person who had a lighter doused themselves in liquid, MP Huw Merriman tweeted.

Our reporter at the scene said police held a person up against a wall next to Carriage Gates in the moments after the dousing.

Officers were seen spraying a fire extinguisher on an unknown substance before wrapping the man in a blanket.

Carriage Gates is the main entrance to Parliament off Parliament Square and it is where protesters gather.

It is also where PC Keith Palmer was killed in the 2017 Westminster terror attack.

Did you witness the incident? Email webnews@trinitymirror.com

(Image: George Cracknell Wright/LNP) (Image: George Cracknell Wright/LNP) (Image: George Cracknell Wright/LNP)

An eye witness claimed the suspect doused himself in petrol from a two litre coke bottle and police at Parliament rushed to the scene to pin him down while someone raced for a fire etinguisher.

A BMW X5 police armed response vehicle stationed nearby raced to the scene while armed officers guarding Parliament hurried to deal with the suspect.

A fire engine arrived a short while later to help clean up the spilt substance.

(Image: Daily Mirror) (Image: Daily Mirror)

It is not clear that Vote Leave signs leaned against the walls of Parliament are connected to the incident.

Richard Davey, a 67-year-old from Enfield, said: "The old chap came up, in a red Anorak I think, and threw some A4 or A5 sheets in the air. I've no idea what they were.

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"Then all of a sudden he's pouring petrol over himself, I thought it was going to be lime to begin with.

"I don't know if he drank any, I can't be sure.

"And then the police said 'run' so we ran."

Mr Davey told of how the the first responders covered the man in white foam.

The suspect was then lifted to his feet and pinned against a wall and black iron railings running around Parliament.

Police have closed part of parliament square.

A paramedic rapid response vehicle and an ambulance also rushed to the scene.

A police cordon of some twenty yards was set up as heavy rain fell on Westminster.

A man who looked to be in his 20s, wearing jogging bottoms sweat shirt and trainers, was led by police and paramedics to an ambulance.

They put his hands on the back of his head and searched him.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "At 10:44hrs on Tuesday, 1 October Officers became aware of a man dousing himself with, what appeared to be, a flammable liquid at Old Carriage Gates, Westminster.



"The man, who had a lighter, was sprayed with a fire extinguisher. There was no ignition and the man was detained.



"LFB and LAS have attended the scene. LFB made the scene safe by dispersing the suspected flammable liquid.



"The man was assessed by LAS and taken to a central London hospital. He has been detained under the Mental Health Act.



"No reports of any injuries. The area affected has now been reopened."

A spokesperson for London Ambulance Service said: “We were called today at 10:48am to reports of an incident on Parliament Square.

“We sent an ambulance crew and a first responder in a car to the scene with the first of our medics arriving in five minutes.”

“We remain at the scene."