
The throngs which lined Whitehall held their breath watching the man suspended 20ft above the road try desperately to escape his shackles.

But nobody was holding their breath more than the magician himself - because his head was submerged in a box of water.

Darcy Oake - the Canadian magician who rose to fame in the UK after appearing on Britain's Got Talent - was one of the highlights during the London New Year's Day Parade.

This year, the annual event was celebrating '30 Magical Years', and Oake promised ahead of the day that his newest stunt would be 'epic'.

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Death-defying: Darcy Oake's latest stunt saw him suspended 20ft above Whitehall with his head in a tank of water and his hands manacled

Epic: The Canadian illusionist had promised he would do something special for the 30th London New Year's Day Parade

Close call: The stunt took two-and-a-half minutes to complete, with the audience getting increasingly tense as it went on

Relief: They were able to relax when Oake - who also looked quite relieved to have completed the stunt - finally did escape

It began with Oake's hands being shackled to a board, while his head was placed in a glass box, which was then filled with water.

The illusionist was then lifted 20 feet in the air, where he began unpicking the locks with a pin.

In total, the escape took two-and-a-half minutes, and 28-year-old Oake was visibly relieved when he finally escaped.

But he was just one of more than 8,500 people who took part in the parade, which snaked through Lower Regent Street, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall, before finishing with a performance of the National Anthem by 400 musicians in Parliament Square.

Cheerleaders, marching bands and acrobats from 20 countries took to the streets, overlooked not only by cheering crowds, but also by the police, who had been out inf once the night before amid heightened fears of possible terror attacks across Europe.

A spokesman for Metropolitan Police confirmed only that 'proportionate policing' had been put in place for the London parade.

Joyful: Half a million people lined the route, which sees the parade pass some of London's most famous locations, like The Ritz, pictured

Good causes: The parade raises money for a variety of charities, chosen by the various London boroughs which take part

Familiar faces: Children can spot some of their favourite characters, like Willy Wonka, pictured, among the performers

Problem: The only slight snag in the day was when a mermaid balloon caught on a building and popped. It was replaced with a unicorn

But the fireworks and the parade both went off peacefully.

The only snag in the latter event was when a novelty mermaid balloon caught on a building and popped, said a spokesman, and it was quickly replaced with a unicorn.

London New Year's Day Parade spokesman Dan Kirkby said: 'It has been amazing and we've seen about 500,000 people come along - the best turn-out we have ever seen.

'We started a little late and had a slight balloon mishap, but it didn't leave us too deflated.

'It has been a real party for everyone here and those watching from other countries. It gives us a chance to show the whole world what London has to offer.'

Joyful: Troops of cheerleaders made sure the crowds remained in good spirits during the march

Success: London New Year's Day Parade spokesman Dan Kirkby said it was the best turn out they had ever seen