Five people were arrested at yesterday's "End Austerity Now" protest, one of them on suspicion of assaulting police, Scotland Yard has confirmed.

It followed fears the march through central London would be "hijacked" by "facemask anarchists".

One of the people taken into custody, a 45-year-old woman, was released with no further action after being arrested on suspicion of theft.

And a man one year her junior, suspected of assaulting police, accepted a police caution.

In addition, a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and has now been bailed until August, while another man, 49, is being held on suspicion of being wanted on recall to prison.

The final person arrested was a 26-year-old man suspected of possessing articles to commit criminal damage. Police could not immediately say whether he had been released or remained in custody.

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Thousands of protesters gathered in central London to demonstrate against Government spending cuts and austerity policies. Organisers claimed the numbers topped 250,000, which would make it one of the biggest protests in recent years.

Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union, told a rally at the end of the march: "If they think they won the war of austerity on May 7 they better think again.

"If they thought on May 8 that we were going to disappear then they better think again.

"Our fight goes on to protect our communities, to defend the vulnerable, to expose spivs and speculators and tax avoiders."

There were also rallies in Liverpool and Glasgow.

Additional reporting by Press Association