UPDATE 4.30pm:

A MALE suspect has been shot dead on London Bridge, Neil Basu, the head of UK counter-terrorism policing, said.

Mr Basu said the attack "has been declared as a terror incident" but said police were keeping an open mind about the motive.

The BBC has reported that the suspect who was killed was believed to have been wearing a hoax explosive device.

Salisbury Journal:

UPDATE 3.30pm: 

A MAN has been detained by police and number of people have been injured following a stabbing near London Bridge, the Metropolitan Police said.

Footage on social media appeared to show armed officers with their weapons poised, while witnesses told the PA news agency they heard gunfire.

A police statement said: "Police were called at 1:58pm to a stabbing at premises near to London Bridge.
"Emergency services attended, including officers from the Met and the City of London Police.

"A man has been detained by police. We believe a number of people have been injured. Further info to follow."

No further details about the injured were available.

ORIGINAL STORY

EMERGENCY services have been called to London Bridge amid reports of shots being fired.

The Metropolitan Police tweeted: "We are currently dealing with an incident at London Bridge. Please stand by for updates."

Various social media users have reported hearing gunshots from London Bridge.

One video shows what appears to be police pulling equipment out of a vehicle nearby.

Salisbury Journal: Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire.Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire.

Those in the video can be heard saying: "They've actually got guns out. They've got the guns out."

BBC correspondent John McManus told BBC News that he had heard several gun shots on London Bridge.

"Just a few minutes ago I was walking across London Bridge on the south bank to the north bank of the bridge," he said.

"There appeared to be a fight going on on the other side of the bridge, with several men attacking one man."

Political commentator Owen Jones tweeted: "I'm near London Bridge, looks like a bad incident - people running, police yelling 'keep moving', lots of emergency services, area cordoned off. Stay safe everyone."

"Police then quickly arrived, including armed police, and then a number of shots were fired at this man," Mr McManus told BBC News.

"Police have now cleared the bridge, everybody has been told to move back and now on the northern side of the bridge, but there are more shots going on.

"I can't see what's happening now because we've been moved out of the way but there are shots going on, and you probably hear the police sounds as well.

"Everybody has cleared the area, the entire bridge has been moved, and right on the northern part of the bridge, right up until quite near the Bank of England, is being cleared."

Salisbury Journal: Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire.Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire.

Footage posted from inside a passing bus showed armed police pointing guns at a person who appeared to be lying still on the pavement.

The video was posted by Twitter user Amanda Hunter, who wrote: "Someone just shot on London Bridge."

Onlooker Zack Shooter told the PA news agency police almost knocked him over as they ran towards the incident.

"Then loads of cars with sirens all rushed past me at full speed," he added.

Police have evacuated London Bridge station and the surrounding area amid reports of shots being fired.

A cordon has been set up at Borough Market while evacuation continues from nearby shops and businesses.

Response from officers led scores of people to run down St Thomas' street, though the exact cause of the incident is still unknown.

Kelby McNally, OK! Online's editor, works in the Northern and Shell Building on Lower Thames Street near to London Bridge.

She said: "I was coming out of Pret on Eastcheap and there were loads of people just running, I thought it was a fire alarm or something, and then I saw two girls from my office who told me not to go back there. I asked what had happened, and they said they had heard gunshots and now everyone is running.

Salisbury Journal:

"City of London police officers and paramedics told us, 'You need to go that way, do not go near London Bridge, run that way'.

"Everyone was running, so then we came to where the Sky Garden building is and the security guards let everyone in. We're sat in the foyer of this building, and everyone is running outside. Now everyone is being let out of this building but they're saying you cannot walk back towards London Bridge, go towards Liverpool Street."

"There are more police coming into the area as I'm speaking, they're telling people to clear, to move back," Mr McManus continued.

"We've been moved back hundreds of metres back from the northern side of the bridge, and I can only assume the same has happened on the southern side of the bridge as well."

The BBC correspondent said he could see a man lying on the ground but the situation was "ongoing".

"There appeared to be a fight going on on the bridge, from what I could see, several people tried to restrain a man and it was then that armed police arrived and they fired shots at this person," he said.

"The last I could see before we were moving from the bridge was lying on the ground.

"Since then, since we've been moved back, I've heard several more shots fired as well. So at this moment it seems to be a developing situation."​