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The Met Commissioner has said there is "absolutely no point" in hanging onto the water cannon Boris Johnson purchased as mayor.

The fleet which were purchased in 2014 have never been used and have cost taxpayers thousands of pounds to maintain.

Mr Johnson was banned from putting the cannons into service by then Home Secretary Theresa May who refused to licence them.

Mr Johnson aquired the controversial devices in the aftermath of the London riots.

But critics said the cannon, which have only ever been allowed in Northern Ireland and not the rest of the UK, stifle the democratic right to protest.

(Image: AFP)

Greater London Authority officials have said they hoped to sell on the water cannon but so far no one wants to buy them.

The current mayor Sadiq Khan announced in December 2016 that he was putting the fleet up for sale after they cost taxpayers over £320,000 just to make them usable.

The Commissioner said today that there was no point holding onto them.

(Image: LBC)

She told LBC: "The water cannon have not been used on the streets of London and it has been difficult to sell them as you know and they are not licenced for use in London.

"Therefore there is absolutely no point in us holding onto them and yes I would like them to be sold, if we could."

City Hall had hoped to sell them for more than the £320,000 it cost to make them usable but - almost two years since they went on sale a buyer has not been found.

And it's been reported that they have had to put a minimum price in place to stop them just being sold for scrap.

She was asked by presenter Nick Ferrari if the Met might as well sell the cannons for scrap to which she replied: "I think we’re at the end of the interview, aren’t we, Nick?"

GLA officials estimate it will cost £174,928.32 to maintain the fleet over the next eight years - the equivalent of £21,866.04 a year.