Security stepped up for Speech

Security was stepped up around Westminster today in preparation for the Queen's Speech amid heightened fears of a terrorist attack.

Dozens of extra police officers patrolled the streets and road blocks were in place closing St Margaret Street in preparation for the Queen's arrival at Westminster.

A police helicopter hovered above Parliament Square, around which barriers had been set up.

Scotland Yard would not say how many extra officers were involved in the operation but confirmed that numbers had been increased "sufficient to meet the needs of any contingency".

"We can't discuss what measures there are for security reasons," a spokesman said.

"There will be an appropriate policing plan in

operation.

"There is no specific intelligence of a threat to

this event, it's just a continued state of higher alert which is the context in which these plans have been made" he said.

The plans were in place before the recent terrorist attacks in Istanbul, the spokesman

added.

Scotland Yard said further roads around

Westminster would be closed nearer to the time of the Queen's arrival including Parliament Square, Victorian Embankment, Victoria Street eastbound, Lambeth Bridge, Constitution Hill, Birdcage Walk and The Mall.

The spokesman said police aimed to balance the extra security measures with the need to keep traffic flowing but that this was "not an easy equation".

Outside St. Stephens' entrance to Westminster a marquee was set up to house security scanners.

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