Staff and visitors to BBC Broadcasting House were seen running in fear for their lives as a bomb scare hit central London this afternoon.

Police rushed to seal off streets around the broadcaster's central London headquarters amid reports of the discovery of a suspicious vehicle in the area.

Witnesses took to Twitter to describe floods of people running from the BBC's vast complex in Portland Place, Marylebone.

Nathalie A wrote: "Regent Street blocked off by police and people quite literally running out of the BBC building. Potential bomb scare? #London"

Others described seeing police "everywhere" after the alarm was raised around 2.45pm.

Officers were described as "working hard and fast" to clear the area while locals were told to stay indoors.

A Scotland Yard spokesman later confirmed the alert was a false alarm and roads were in the process of being reopened, but declined to comment further.