Armed police evacuated Westminster Bridge and Victoria Embankment in central London on Saturday afternoon after a suspicious vehicle was found close to the Houses of Parliament.

Footage from traffic cameras in the area showed a cordon set up on the bridge and police sealing off the entrance to Parliament Square and halfway along the Embankment.

#CS3 and adjacent carriageway (A3211) closed along Victoria Embankment due to an incident. Westminster Bridge also closed to vehicles and pedestrians. Footage from @TfL. pic.twitter.com/5hMfGGECLt — Streetcam London (@streetcamlondon) March 9, 2019

The Sky News reporter Kate McCann tweeted that the vehicle was parked opposite Portcullis House on Victoria Embankment, where many MPs have their offices. The Metropolitan police headquarters is also nearby.

Westminster bridge closed as police investigate reports of a suspicious vehicle on Embankment opposite Portcullis House pic.twitter.com/JCuqNHrWAS — Kate McCann (@KateEMcCann) March 9, 2019

The Metropolitan police tweeted: “An area of the Victoria Embankment has been closed off after a suspicious vehicle was found. Officers closed off the area at 15.15. They remain on the scene.”

A controlled explosion was carried out on the vehicle at around 4.30pm, which officers at the scene said was a “precautionary” action. By 4.38pm the bridge had reopened, allowing crowds of tourists to return to the area.