'World War II bomb' pulled from River Thames

A suspected Second World War bomb has been pulled from the River Thames.

The operation to recover the unexploded device near the Houses of Parliament led to disruption in central London on Thursday night.

Westminster underground station was closed and river traffic was halted after the bomb was dredged up near the Victoria Embankment.

The Waterloo and Westminster bridges were also forced to close for several hours after the discovery.

The bomb was removed at around 3am on Friday.

A Port of London authority spokesman told the BBC the object was "2ft by 1ft".

Scotland Yard said specialist officers had assessed the device and notified the Royal Navy at 5.15pm on Thursday.

A police spokesman said: "The Royal Navy have now successfully removed the ordnance and will dispose of it."