London City Airport has been closed after a World War Two bomb was found nearby in the River Thames.

All flights in and out of the airport are cancelled today and passengers are being urged not to travel to the airport and to contact their airline. Up to 16,000 passengers could be affected.

The bomb was discovered at around 5am on Sunday at George V Dock during pre-planned work at the airport, reports say. The airport was closed at 10pm and the Met said it was working with the Royal Navy to remove the device.

A statement from Robert Sinclair, CEO of London City Airport, said: “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.”