Speculation is mounting over who owns the 'suspicious abandoned taxi' that led to the evacuation of thousands of Christmas shoppers after it emerged the vehicle was not a working London black cab.

Crowds of people buying last-minute gifts were today cleared from a 600ft stretch of Regent Street as specialist officers examined a minicab parked in the middle of the road near Hamleys toy store.

It was later revealed that the driver had apparently parked his vehicle outside the popular store so that he could go shopping with his family - and returned to find the chaos he had caused.

Several London cab drivers have since suggested it may be owned by a billionaire businessman or celebrity who uses the vehicle to beat the congestion charge. Another theory is that it belongs to a Mayfair hotel, casino or private members club.

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Rumours: Speculation is mounting over who owns the 'suspicious taxi' abandoned in Regent Street after it emerged the vehicle was not a working cab. It did not have a TFL license plate (circled is where it should be)

False alarm: Thousands of Christmas shoppers were today evacuated from one of London's busiest streets after a 'suspicious vehicle' was abandoned in the middle of the road. But it has since emerged that the driver of the black cab had apparently parked it close to Hamleys toy store so that he could go shopping with his family

Explanation: While initial reports suggested the cab, pictured, had been 'shot', eyewitness Dave Dale-Beasleigh said a police officer knocked out the back window while the driver was away

The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) confirmed the vehicle was not a licensed cab because it did not have a Transport for London license plate, prompting feverish speculation about who it does belong to.

Black cabs are said to be popular with wealthy businessmen, partly because driving one allows them to avoid congestion and parking charges. A number of celebrities have also showed an interest.

Stephen Fry used to own a black cab, while Gary Barlow is thought to have gifted his wife Dawn one last year. It has even been rumoured that David Beckham was in the market for a London taxi.

Several black cab drivers have contacted MailOnline to speculate on who owns the Regent Street-parked vehicle.

Mark Dugdale, 47, said: 'A lot of millionaires use them to get around London quicker. I know Oligarchs have bought them but I've never seen one parked there before.

'The taxi isn't licensed by Transport for London. It hasn't got the plates and it's got tinted windows, which aren't allowed on London cabs.'

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He added: 'The majority of London cab drivers would never leave their vehicle unattended, especially not in the middle of a taxi rank [in Regent Street]. It beggars belief.'

An LTDA spokeswoman added: 'It was identified by traffic cameras as being unlicensed because it didn’t have a license plate – white plate with numbers displayed below the yellow license plate – that all Tfl licensed black cabs have. Licensed taxis also cannot have blacked out windows.'

Earlier today a witness, who watched the scene unfold from a building above, described how the driver was 'told off' by police as he made his way back to the vehicle laden with bags before driving away.

Dave Dale-Beasleigh, 54, a senior electrician who worked on the Regent Street Christmas light display, was walking on the opposite side of the road to Hamleys when he spotted a police officer looking at two cabs parked outside the toy shop.

Mr Dale-Beasleigh, who worked on Regent Street's Christmas light display, pictured, had this view as he watched the taxi driver, accompanied by what appeared to be his wife and children, return to the scene

Mr Dale-Beasleigh also described how he was just feet away when he saw the first officer looking at the vehicle. Witnesses reported seeing some three police cars and four vans on the scene as it was investigated

STAYING INCOGNITO: THE CELEBRITIES WHO HAVE OWNED BLACK CABS Noel Edmonds The Deal or No Deal star is often spotted driving a black cab on his five-mile daily commute to TV studios in Bristol. He bought it for a few hundred pounds in an attempt to avoid rush-hour traffic. But he has come in for criticism in the past for using the black cab to drive along bus lanes.

Kate Moss The 41-year-old supermodel bought a black cab seven years ago. She was spotted driving it for the first time when she took friend Fran Cutler and other pals from the Paradise pub in Kensal Green, North London, back to her house in St John's Wood in March 2008. Behind the wheel: Supermodel Kate Moss has in the past been pictured driving around in her black cab Arnold Schwarzenegger In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of hundreds of US customers to buy a black cab, paying to have one shipped to California.

Gary Barlow's wife Dawn Last year a black taxi was seen apparently being driven by Gary Barlow’s wife Dawn – who looked at ease behind the wheel as she pulled out of a quiet residential street. The vehicle was thought to have been gifted Dawn by her husband. Taxi for Barlow! Gary Barlow's wife Dawn was apparently seen at the wheel of a black cab in London in 2014 Bez of the Happy Mondays Dancer Bez – real name Mark Berry – used the money he earned on 2005's Celebrity Big Brother to have a condemned FX4 'pimped' and fitted with a V8 engine. He revealed earlier this year that he spent more than £18,000 on the black cab but that it was later stolen.

Stephen Fry The QI presenter once owned a black taxi cab, enabling him to drive round London incognito and avoid the attention of fans. On Top Gear he revealed he used one to avoid congestion and parking tickets. Fry once said: 'I sometimes park it on taxi stands all day and no one notices.' QI presenter Stephen Fry once owned a black taxi cab which enabled him to drive round London incognito Stanley Kubrick The late film director Stanley Kubrick could often be seen behind the wheel of a black cab near his Hertfordshire home.

The Duke of Edinburgh Even Prince Philip uses a black cab for charitable work and short trips in London.The taxi, complete with a royal chauffeur, carries his personal numberplate and runs on green biodiesel. In 2012, the Queen left theatregoers stunned when she made a surprise trip to the West End in the Duke of Edinburgh's black cab. Advertisement

When he was asked to move from the street, Mr Dale-Beasleigh went inside the nearby light control centre. It was from there he watched the moment the driver returned to the scene, moments after a police officer smashed the back window - apparently to get a better look of the back seat.

'A minute later around the corner comes the cabbie with his wife and his young child with a load of shopping,' he said. 'And he was told off! He was pulled to the side and he was told off.

'I assume he just told someone it was his cab and they let him through. It was another police officer who was speaking to him.'

Mr Dale-Beasleigh said that while the child appeared to be a young girl, it was difficult to be sure.

A lot of millionaires use them to get around London quicker Mark Dugdale, 47

The officer stood talking to the driver as his colleagues started to wind down the situation.

Mr Dale-Beasleigh added: 'The interview with the cab owner finished and he drove off, minus a back window.'

Mr Dale-Beasleigh also described how he was just feet away when he saw the first officer looking at the vehicles.

He said: 'The officer was quite interested in the two cabs, they were sitting there for quite a while.

'Next thing I know there is more police. About three cars and about four vans that I could see that were in sight.

'Police officers started saying, "no you can't walk down that way" and that they were blocking the road. A policewoman said "you can evacuate the area or go into one of the buildings".'

Witnesses said some customers were told to stay inside shops and away from windows as specialists examined the car, which was parked at a taxi rank.

Crowds of people doing last-minute Christmas shopping were cleared from a 600ft stretch of Regent Street as specialist officers examined the black cab near Hamleys toy store. A cordon was also put in place (pictured)

Sealed off: The cordon remained in place for just under an hour (pictured), until it was removed shortly before 2pm. The Metropolitan Police have since declared the area safe and have reopened Regent Street

A Metropolitan Police spokesman later confirmed there was 'nothing suspicious', telling MailOnline: 'There's nothing going on – the roads are all open, the cordon's open.' Two officers are pictured at the scene earlier

Mr Dale-Beasleigh, who lives in Canterbury, Kent, found himself outside the control centre for the Christmas lights and walked up so that he had a 'bird's eye view' as the drama unfolded.

He said: 'They had put up the tape. A police officer walked down towards Hamleys and said "out of the area, out of the area". All the buildings were being evacuated.

'And that was it, the street was empty.'

Early reports of the closure suggested the windows of the vehicles had been 'shot out'. A photo also emerged showing what appeared to be bullet holes in the glass.

But Mr Dale-Beasleigh said he watched as an officer who was examining the car took out 'a little tool' from his pocket that he used to strike the back window, apparently to take a better look.

He said: 'Basically he smashed that, the alarm of the cab went off. I couldn't see what he was looking at but he looked in the back seat. He was there for a few minutes.'

The incident did not appear to deter Christmas shoppers, with many seen on nearby Oxford Street this evening

The street was packed with people doing some last minute Christmas shopping following today's false alarm

One shopper carries multiple bags over his shoulder after picking up Christmas presents on Oxford Street

Apparently satisfied with what he saw, Mr Dale-Beasleigh said the officer 'gave a sign that everything was okay'. It was then the taxi driver walked back towards his vehicle.

The cordon remained in place for just under an hour, until it was removed shortly before 2pm. The Metropolitan Police have since declared the area safe and have reopened Regent Street.

The incident highlights the state of alert in place across Britain, more than a month after 130 people lost their lives in a wave of terror attacks across Paris.

General levels of security are influenced by the national terror threat level. It was raised in August 2014 to severe, the second highest of five levels, meaning an attack is considered highly likely.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman later confirmed there was 'nothing suspicious', telling MailOnline: 'There's nothing going on – the roads are all open, the cordon's open.'