A 38-year-old man has been arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act after a bomb hoax in central Croydon.

Police sealed off Windmill Road at 6.30am on Monday after a green rucksack with wires hanging out of it was spotted in a telephone box by a member of the public.

The bag did not contain any explosives, police later revealed.

Six hours later police set up a cordon in Windmill Road after reports of a suspicious vehicle.

The road remained closed for an hour while checks were carried out. The two incidents are being linked.

The man was released and has been bailed to return to South Norwood police station pending further enquiries.

In a separate incident police received reports of a suspect package in Addiscombe Road, Croydon, after a man was seen putting a blue rucksack in a litter bin at 2pm on Monday afternoon.

Traffic was diverted along Havelock Road, causing long tailbacks, until explosives officers declared the area safe at 4.30pm.

Superintendent Nick Jupp of Croydon Police asked the public to remain vigilant in the wake of the terrorist attacks in London but also urged people to take care discarding items following a rise in reports of suspicious packages.