A suspected Second World War bomb found in the River Thames has been safely removed, police said.

The operation to recover the unexploded bomb near the Houses of Parliament led to disruption in central London overnight.

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

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

Westminster underground station was also closed and traffic stopped near the Victoria Embankment whilst the device was recovered.

The bomb was removed at around 3am on Friday.

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

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