The Gherkin
The taxi was parked outside the Gherkin in the City of London Getty

The City of London was sealed off this morning as police carried out a controlled explosion on a Hackney carriage taxi parked outside the Gherkin skyscraper.

Police set up a cordon on roads surrounding 30 St Mary Axe, the address of the Gherkin, after being called to the scene at approximately 7.45am.

Bankers and finance professionals were forced to wait behind tape as City of London police carried out the explosion.

Eyewitness photos show the back window of the taxi was blown out during the operation and the window of a nearby bar.

The cordon was eventually removed and the area declared safe after an hour.

A spokesman from the police force said: "We were called to a report of a suspect vehicle.

"Officers were sent to the scene and the vehicle has now been removed. It is no longer being treated as suspicious."

Gherkin explosion
The back window of the Hackney carriage taxi was smashed in the explosion @PeterHoskinsSky / @SkyNews
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