Security around the G8 Summit area is being stepped up. Since this morning I have heard a number of, what I presume Airforce jets flying over, presumably in light of this event.
I know that train stations in the area are seeing police officers appear there and staff are 'checking' for suspect packages, left luggage and bins.
Channel M in Manchester have abandoned normal programming and are showing EuroNews. They've moved their DOG up on-screen slightly to introduce a ticker over the EuroNews information strap. The ticker is constantly repeating: "Due to events in London, our normal schedule will resume later."
Solent TV on the Isle of Wight are showing Sky News, with their own ticker with details of people in London who are ok but cant get in touch.
At about 9.30 I was watching News 24, they bought on Tim Wilcox who was explaining that it was a power surge and I thought okay, hopefully it should all be over soon.
Then there was utter confusion, especially with reports about exploding buses. That was when it became clear to me that this was a lot more sinister.
I'm now sitting here in disbelief that the whole of the transport system in zone 1 (Central London) has been suspended and just hoping and praying that there are no more fatalities.
Media Guardian on broadcasters' plans for coverage today - including bringing a lot of people back from Gleneagles:
Quote:
All of the commercial TV stations were broadcasting without advertising breaks
ITN was among several broadcasters pulling its senior journalists back to London from Gleneagles as the scale of the attack became clear.
ITN said its international news editor, Bill Neely, would return to London to cover the events.
The BBC is bringing news staff back from the G8 summit in Scotland to cover the unfolding story in London and is planning a news special on today's attacks on BBC1 this evening.
Sky News is bringing back anchor Jeremy Thompson from Gleneagles, along with correspondents David Bowden, Alex Rossi and Paul Harrison
The broadcaster's Scottish bureau - correspondents James Matthews and Jane Chiltern - will continue to cover the G8 summit as will the political team of Adam Boulton and Glen Oglaza.
BBC1 ran its first news flash on the bomb attacks from Philip Hayton just before 10am and switched at 10.21 to a simulcast of News 24, anchored by Hayton and Matthew Amroliwala.
The corporation was able to call on its security correspondent, Frank Gardner, an expert on the Middle East who was seriously injured when he was shot while reporting for the BBC from Saudi Arabia last year.
Gardner had been due to fly out on holiday this morning but returned to work as soon as he heard of the attacks. The BBC's report at 11.32am saying Arab sources had told the BBC today's attacks in London were "almost certainly the work of al-Qaida" was based on information Gardner got from contacts.
Gardner was left in a wheelchair after being shot six times by gunmen in Saudi Arabia last year, in an attack in which his colleague, freelance cameraman Simon Cumbers, was killed.
Jeremy Paxman is to front a 30-minute BBC1 news special on the London attacks this evening. It will include a report by Panorama reporter John Ware.
BBC1's Six O'Clock News is to be extended by an hour, running to 7.30pm, and Huw Edwards is to anchor another 15-minute special BBC1 bulletin from 9pm.
The network's One O'Clock News was extended by 25 minutes at lunchtime today, in between BBC1's simulcast of News 24.
Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international correspondent, is anchoring the US news channel's rolling coverage from its London bureau and the broadcaster also has Richard Quest at Aldgate.
ITV1 began simulcasting the ITV News Channel's material from 10.12am.
David Mannion, the editor-in-chief of ITV News, said: "At the moment we are planning to be open-ended on this till 7pm [on ITV1]. Beyond this we do not know yet."
ITN reporters and producers who work for both ITV News and Channel 4 News are all over London providing reports for both broadcasters. Many of the people working as reporters now were en route to work at the time of the explosions this morning.
Five is planning to run a two-and-a-half hour news special from 5.30pm.
Does anyone have a copy of Ken Livingstone's reactions, he seemed visibly and emotionally distraught but put it plainly and lifted my spirits for one...
Does anyone have a copy of Ken Livingstone's reactions, he seemed visibly and emotionally distraught but put it plainly and lifted my spirits for one...