Man arrested after breaching Houses of Parliament fences

A man has been arrested after breaching the security fences around the Houses of Parliament.

He was seen surrounded by officers in New Palace Yard on Wednesday afternoon, before being taken away in the back of a police van.

The Metropolitan Police said he had been detained and arrested on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site.

The spokesman said "inquiries into the circumstances continue", but it was not being treated as a terrorist incident.

The arrest happened at around 15:00 GMT at Carriage Gates, which leads into the yard outside Parliament.

A House of Commons spokesperson said: "We are aware of an incident on the Parliamentary estate which is being attended by police and security staff."

Elliot Keck, who works for Tory MP Andrew Rosindell, said it appeared the man had climbed over the fence before he was tasered by police.

He added: "As he was being tasered two armed police had their guns drawn."

"When it was established he wasn't a threat, armed police moved off and he was sat upright for a period before being taken to the van."

Mr Keck said the speed in which officers and security reacted was "very, very impressive".