Buckingham Palace in lockdown as man arrested and controlled explosion carried out

Buckingham Palace has gone into lockdown as a man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and a controlled explosion was carried out outside the palace gates.

The man was arrested at the scene after throwing what is suspected to be shotgun cartridges on the premises surrounding the palace.

Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald, issued a statement on the matter which confirmed the news.

It read: "Officers worked immediately to detain the man and he has been taken into police custody.

"There have been no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries to officers or members of the public.

"Officers remain at the scene and further enquiries are ongoing."

A statement from the Metropolitan Police added: "Officers quickly detained a man at around 7pm on Tuesday, May 2, after he approached the gates of Buckingham Palace SW1 and threw a number of items - suspected to be shotgun cartridges - into the Palace grounds.

"These have been recovered and will be taken for specialist examination. There have been no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries.

"The man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and will be taken into custody."

The statement concluded: "Cordons are in place after the man was also found to be in possession of a suspicious bag. Specialists are in attendance and will assess the item."

The news comes just a matter of days before King Charles III's coronation which will begin at 11am on Saturday, 6 May in Westminster Abbey.

Neither the King nor Queen Consort were on the premises at the time of the incident.

More to follow.