Lorry attacks in Nice and Berlin during 2016 have had an impact on the Metropolitan Police Service's plans for London's New Year's Eve, according to a senior police officer.

Around 3,000 ordinary police officers and specialist armed units will patrol the streets of the capital on Saturday night as hundreds of thousands of revellers pour into the city centre to watch the annual firework display.

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Detective Superintendent Phil Langworthy was keen to stress that the Met's plans had not been informed by intelligence relating to a specific threat. But he admitted that they have evolved in the wake of lorry attacks in Berlin and Nice this year where a total of 98 people were killed by terrorists driving heavy goods vehicles into crowds.

He told the Press Association: "Clearly we have been looking at what has happened around the world in terms of Berlin, Nice, etc, and have adjusted our plans and continue to adjust our plans.

"We police around 3,500 large events every year including New Year's Eve and we meticulously plan those events. We have meticulously planned New Year's Eve, and we look at our tactics and we look around the world and adjust our tactics if need be."

The UK's official threat level is currently "severe", meaning that a terrorist attack is highly likely. It was upgraded from "substantial" over two years ago. UK intelligence services claim to have foiled 12 major terrorist plots on home soil since 2013.

Langworthy said: "We have a very extensive planning period, we plan for many months, we pretty much started planning since the last event." He said there was "no specific intelligence" for an attack on New Year's Eve, before adding: "I would encourage people on the night if they see anything suspicious or have any concerns to come and speak to one of the police officers or stewards who will be on duty."

The Metropolitan Police Service has been working with the Mayor's office, British Transport Police and others in the build-up to the event. Road closures in central London start from 2.00pm GMT on Saturday, 31 December and include the bridges of Lambeth, Westminster, Waterloo and Blackfriars.

Langworthy said: "Make sure you know how you are getting home. There is a huge demand for public transport at certain points in the evening. After midnight you may have to wait some time before getting on the tube or train so be prepared to queue." He added: "You wouldn't get into a stranger's car so don't use unlicensed and unregulated mini cabs."