
President Donald Trump has brought his £1.2million 'Beast' limousine to London this week, and the heavily armed Cadillac was spotted over the weekend at a BP petrol station in London - which resulted in the road being blocked off by police in order for the vehicle to fill up ahead of the three day trip.

Passers-by spotted the President's entourage and took to Twitter to post photos of the vehicle, which was surrounded by police on motorbikes and the rest of the motorcade. It is not known how big the tank is, or how much it would cost to fill, but it averages around eight miles to the gallon.

The car was filling up for the trip, as it is expected to transport the President and his wife Melania around London during their stay, accompanied by American military personnel.

It is part of the multi-million pound security operation keeping Mr Trump safe as hundreds of thousands of protesters vow to make their disagreements with Trump known during his three-day visit to Britain.

The Beast was spotted at a BP garage in London on Saturday filling up for the President's state visit. The presence of the car and its motorcade led to the area being closed. At the time, there appeared to be no passengers inside the vehicle

The President motorcade was seen blocking off the road at the weekend while pedestrians looked on at all the vehicles which had taken up the road in order for the Beast to re-fuel. Support vehicles as well as senior military were thought to have been on the scene

Above the crowds a team of police spotters and snipers stand on the roof of Buckingham Palace, which Mr Trump will visit twice today

After having touched down in the UK earlier this morning, arriving by Air Force One into Stansted Airport before being ferried away on the Marine One helicopter, Mr Trump is set to get from A-B on some trips while he is in the UK by travelling in the £1.2 million 'Beast' car.

The Beast was spotted this morning on its way to the US Ambassador's residence in London's Regent's Park, however the President was not in the car, as he was flown to Winfield House by Marine One.

This is while his security detail arrived at Buckingham Palace at around 12pm, ahead of his meeting with the Queen. The President and Melania were also transported from Winfield House to the Palace later on. As they arrived at the Palace, Ivanka Trump, Mr Trump's daughter, was seen peering out of a window as her father and Melania arrived.

The graphic above details the various components of 'The Beast' which is set to transport the President and his family around London

Trump's motorcade (pictured above) arriving at Winfield House today, after the President flew from Stansted Airport rather than using the Beast

The Beast was pictured this afternoon arriving at Buckingham Palace, it will then take the President and Melania to Westminster Abbey later on

President Trump's limousine the beast drives from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey through busy tourist areas of London, closed off for the journey

Police horses and vans are used to barricade a temporary road closure as the public wait for the roads to be opened to go about their days

The Beast is a seven-seat black limousine which is designed to give the President and his family ultimate protection.

The car, which will be surrounded by a 20-strong team of vehicles, watching the President's every move, is equipped with a night-vision camera and reinforced steel plating said to be able to resist bullets, chemical attacks and bombs.

The Cadillac has Kevlar-reinforced tyres and steel rims that can keep the vehicle moving even if the tyres have been destroyed.

The President and Melania arrived into Stansted Airport this morning and were pictured disembarking Air Force One as they begin their three day state visit

Donald Trumps motorcade in Park Road en route to the US Ambassador's residence in London's Regent's Park this morning. The vehicle above is thought to be the one which carries the satellite communications truck, or the vehicle which jams hostile radar and lasers

President Trump's giant motorcade followed the helicopter through central London's roads, closed for Mr Trump's visit

British armed police officers patrol streets at Westminster Abbey as US President Donald J. Trump arrives in London

British armed police officers with vests holding tasers and speed cuffs keeping their hands free for semi-automatic weapons

The entourage travels down the mall to Buckingham Palace with police on foot lining the streets as well as police bike escorts

The president's car looks sparkling clean with immaculately presented flags despite its long journey across the pond for the trip

It is believed to be equipped with a Duramax diesel engine. The reason it runs on diesel is because the fuel has a low volatility, which reduces the likelihood of it exploding.

Bottles of the president's blood type are carried on board in case of a medical emergency, and a satellite phone enables communication to be maintained from anywhere in the world.

The car itself is burdened with carrying a whopping 20,000lb of Beast. The engine however is far from a rocket and the car's top speed it said to only be able to max out a typical highway speed in the US, which is around 60mph.

The weight of the vehicle means it is likely to be a guzzler when it comes to fuel consumption and it's unlikely it achieves better than 10 miles per gallon.

Lightfoot's Automotive Propulsion Expert, Professor Chris Brace criticised the President's use of the car and said: 'The visit of President Trump might turn out to be good for diplomacy but his gas guzzling state car is one of the least ecofriendly ways to get around London.

'It has similar CO2 emissions to a double decker bus, but often only carries two passengers - the bus can carry 80 people.'

As well as the Beast and its accompanying motorcade, the President will also be joined by his elite Hawkeye 'kill team' which are said to have been dispatched to London in order to protect the President in the event of a terror attack.

Hawkeye was introduced following the failed assassination attempt against Ronald Reagan in 1981. The agents, who are trained for eight months, will be strolling around with the President - fully armed with SR-16 rifles, a pistol and stun grenades.

A road map above shows the areas which have been closed due to the President's visit over the next three days. The areas include The Mall as well as the spots close to the Houses of Parliament

A woman was pictured outside of Buckingham Palace this afternoon holding a banner that stated some UK politicians were worse that Trump

A woman poses with a demonstration placard on the Mall, outside of Buckingham Palace today as the president arrives

People of opposing views stand outside Buckingham Palace during U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit to Britain

A banner draped across London's Vauxhall Bridge was pictured today which read 'resist racism'. It was put up as Trump starts his visit to the UK

Security was massively beefed up across London due to the President's visit which will span over three days. Above officers can be seen in Regent's Park

An arrested man is taken head-first into a police van on Trafalgar Square as police stepped up security for the State Visit

Snipers and specialist police spotters stand on the roof of the airport preparing to protect Mr Trump on his three-day state visit

On the ground Britain's elite anti-terror units were stalking Stansted as part of Britain's £18million security operation

They work in partnership with the President's personal security detail and if one team is caught up doing something else, Hawkeye will be able to step in and protect the President.

As well as this, the Met Police are thought to have stepped up their efforts for the visit and have spent around £25million, with 10,000 officers having been drafted in to handle to protests which are planned in London, with some already having draped anti-Trump banners across London's Vauxhall Bridge.

It is not thought that Hawkeye will travel in the Beast with the President, but it is likely they will be part of the motorcade.

Working from the front to the back of the Beast, the chassis has steel plate bomb protection while the tyres are Kevlar-reinforced and are resistant to shredding and punctures. They are also driveable on steel rims if they happen to be destroyed.

As the President and Melania arrived at Buckingham Palace in the Beast, his daughter Ivanka was pictured peering out of the windows in the palace, wearing an elegant white dress, accessorised with a large belt around the waist

The Beast (pictured above) is complete with a US flag and a UK flag at the front of the vehicle, a police officer is seen at the back of the car

The President's motorcade was pictured driving around Buckingham Palace this afternoon. The vehicle above is thought to be the truck which includes a satellite communications system, for the President to launch nuclear weapons

A vehicle with a US number plate enters Buckingham Palace this afternoon, ahead of the President's meeting with the Queen later on

Luggage and other items were seen being unloaded from Air Force One this morning which included what appeared to be gifts in paper boxes and bags

A security officer brings items off Air Force One after US President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive at London Stansted Airport

The car is driven by a chauffeur, an elite member of the President's staff, who is trained to cope with demanding conditions, the drivers compartment has a state of the art communications centre, as well as GPS tracking.

In order to keep the passengers safe, the windows have been made up of five layers of glass and polycarbonate and can handle armour piercing bullets.

Defence accessories within the car include tear gas cannons as well as pump-action shot guns. As well as this, bags of the President's blood type are carried on board in the event of an emergency.

Keeping the President safe and secure, the doors of the vehicle are armour-plated and are eight inches thick in order to protect him from a chemical attack.

This is while the bodywork of the car is five inch thick military grade armour. It is made up of a combination of steel, titanium, aluminium and ceramic, in order to break up any projectiles.

Holding up traffic! The entourage can been seen far back down the road with police on motorbikes also being present. With vehicles being on the road which are thought to be carrying the President's senior military aides earlier today

The motorcade (pictured above) took up the majority of the road this morning, halting buses and other traffic on its way to Regent's Park

The graphic above shows the complexity of the President's motorcade which will accompany him around London during his state visit

The rest of the President's entourage: The Air Force One plane and the Marine One helicopter The President of the United States is known for travelling in style, and that is just what he will do during his state visit to London. As well as the £1.2million Beast, the President also frequently uses Air Force One, which is the plane he arrived in this morning at Stansted Airport. Since the 20th century it has been standard practice to refer to the plane as the one that transports the Commander-in-Chief. The plane today is one of two highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft, which carry the tail codes 28000 and 29000. The Air Force designation for the aircraft is VC-25A. It can refuel at mid-air and has electronics which are able to deal with electromagnetic pulse as well as being equipped with advanced secure communications equipment, this allows it to function as a mobile command centre. It has quarters for those accompanying the President and is maintained by the Presidential Airlift Group. This is while Marine One is flown by Marine Helicopter Squadron HMX-1,VA as well as the newer and smaller VH-60N White Hawks. The modified military helicopters are called 'White Tops' after their white upper accents that denote their Presidential airlift mission, also known as Marine One. It can also be the preferred mode of transport to motorcades which can be pricey and logistically difficult to manage, blocking off roads. Advertisement

The fuel tank is also armour plated so that in the event of an incident, the car will still be able to drive away and fuel will not leak from the vehicle.

In the back of the car, the rear compartment can seat the President and up to four passengers with a glass partition which only the President has the buttons to open.

The rear seats are also equipped with a satellite phone, which has a direct line to the Vice President, as well as the Pentagon, this is while the boot has a fire fighting system, tear gas and smoke screens.

Away from the vehicle itself and surrounding it for protection will be a decoy and a spare car for VIPs as well as a 'watchtower' which has lasers.

There are also support vehicles in which cabinet members, bodyguards and the President's doctor will travel in, just three cars away from the President himself.

A 'halfback' surburban car will sit behind the Beast, which is complete with rear facing seats in order for it to keep watch for oncoming threats to the President.

Behind this will be a control vehicle, in which senior military aides will travel, while the care behind them will be full of secret service elite.

Behind the secret service there will be an ID car which will liase with police and behind that sits a truck, which is in place to detect for nuclear threats and biological weapons.

Then there is the roadrunner, this makes sure the President has access to communications, in the event he wants to launch nuclear weapons.

At the back of the motorcade there is a cameraman filming the presidents car as well as an ambulance. At the very front of the entourage sits police cars which act as sweepers, guiding other road users and pedestrians.

Despite the expense of bringing the vehicles to Britain, Trump will make many of his trips around London in helicopters.

A number of presidential helicopters, either VH-3D Sea Kings or VH-60N White Hawks - which are known as Marine One when the president is on board - are also brought on overseas trips.

The Marine One helicopter is fitted with communications equipment, anti-missile defences and hardened hulls. Staff and security personnel are ferried around in MV-22 Ospreys and CH-46s.

The President and his first lady Melania arrived this morning and is in the UK for three days where the Queen will throw a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in his honour tonight after he meets Her Majesty and Prince Harry for lunch and Prince Charles and his wife Camilla for tea.

These massive Ford SUVs, complete with satellite equipment were among the equipment that Mr Trump used during his last visit to the UK in 2018

The vehicle (pictured above) will be followed by a whole team of people including security personnel. The car is pictured above carrying Barack Obama in 2018

A detailed plan (pictured above) of what the President is set to be doing while he is in the UK this week, including tea with the Queen

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt was waiting for the President at Stansted as he landed and briefly held hands with Melania before he boarded the Marine One helicopter and headed for central London.

His visit will be met by large protests with hundreds of thousands of people set to hit the streets and Mayor Khan agreeing to let agitators fly two blimps lampooning Mr Trump: One showing his as a 20ft baby and the other as a robot in a gold toilet.

Mr Trump departed from Joint Base Andrews near Washington DC aboard Air Force One last night and landed at Stansted at 9am before heading to the US Ambassador's residence in Regent's Park - Winfield House - his base for the next three days.

The US President and First Lady Melania will first head to Buckingham Palace for lunch with the Queen - and will return this evening for the state banquet, which is being boycotted by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. In between they will visit Westminster Abbey and also go for tea with Prince Charles at Clarence House.

The Duke of Sussex will also attend a private lunch at the palace - although his wife Meghan Markle, who is on maternity leave, will be at home with their four-week-old son, Archie.

A large number of black Chevrolet and Ford SUVs pictured above on the President's last visit to the UK in 2018, they are seen departing Prestwick Airport

A detailed plan of what Mr Trump will do during his state visit to the UK. He is expected to meet the Queen, Theresa May, and attend a lavish state banquet at Buckingham Palace

The Beast is complete with containers of the President's blood along with oxygen tanks and firefighting gear

Mr Trump was presented with the £1.2million limousine in 2018, the replacement of the car which is slightly higher off the ground than the previous presidential armour-plated Cadillac, could be an effort to avoid the same embarrassment faced by former President Obama in 2009.

Barack Obama was left red-faced after one of his armour-plated Cadillacs was brought to a halt as it left the U.S. Embassy in Dublin.

The gigantic bomb-proof General Motors vehicle, with eight-inch thick steel on its door, didn't even make it as far as the road outside the consulate after it got wedged on a ramp, balancing on its middle with it's front wheels off the ground.

The car had to be abandoned after the collision in front of waving crowds while Mr Obama and his wife were en route to his ancestral home in County Offaly.