London City Airport has been forced to close following the discovery of a World War Two bomb in the River Thames.
The airport, the Dockland area of central London, is expected to be closed all day with all flight cancelled.
As many as 16,000 passengers are expected to be hit as a result.
The unexploded bomb was discovered at early on Sunday at George V Dock during pre-planned work at the airport.
Robert Sinclair, chief executive of London City Airport, said in a statement: “The airport remains closed this morning following the discovery of a World War Two ordnance in King George V Dock on Sunday.
“All flights in and out of London City on Monday are cancelled and an exclusion zone is in place in the immediate area.
“I urge any passengers due to fly today not to come to the airport and to contact their airline for further information.”
He added: “I recognise this is causing inconvenience for our passengers, and in particular some of our local residents.
“The airport is cooperating fully with the Met Police and Royal Navy and working hard to safely remove the device and resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”
The airport was shut at 22:00 and the Met said it was working with the Royal Navy to remove the device.
More than 250 flights are expected to be disrupted today.
Police said a 214-metre exclusion zone had been set up and properties inside were evacuated, with Newham Council providing temporary emergency accommodation to residents.
Image courtesy: Ben Walsh