The staff at the state-funded BBC’s headquarters of the state-funded BBC and surrounding buildings in central London have been evacuated briefly due to a suspicious vehicle.

The Metropolitan Police said the alert, which is now over, was not specific to the BBC, and related to a vehicle parked on nearby Regent’s Street.

In addition to the BBC, Portland Place in central London is also home to the Chinese and Polish embassies, Kenyan High Commission and the Royal Institute of British Architects, as well as several schools and hotels.