Westminster Council leader Nickie Aiken said the concrete blockades were ‘sensible and proportionate’

THE leader of Westminster Council has called for security barriers on the capital’s bridges to be made permanent following the attack on London Bridge.

Concrete blockades have been installed between the road and the pavements on Westminster, Waterloo and Lambeth bridges. The London Bridge incident followed the attack by Khalid Masood on Westminster Bridge in March, which also used a vehicle as a weapon.

Council leader Nickie Aiken said: “People in Westminster need this kind of protective measure – it is sensible and proportionate.

“We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police and security services and are happy to assist on measures like planning and traffic management.

“The kind of security barrier now in place on Westminster Bridge needs to be part of a permanent solution.”

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley added: “The public will also see increased physical measures in order to keep the public safe on London’s bridges.

“The public can expect to see additional police – both armed and unarmed officers – across the capital. And our security and policing plans for events are being reviewed.”

While many welcomed the measure, questions were also raised about why these protective measures were not installed sooner, following the attack on Westminster Bridge.

Cyclists were quick to criticise the barriers, which they feared brought in a “crush risk” as they took up a large chunk of existing cycle lanes.

Colin Wing from the Westminster Cycling Campaign said: “Although we can understand why the authorities needed to act quickly to protect pedestrians from further attacks, we very much regret that we have overnight lost the modicum of safety that cyclists enjoyed on those bridges.”

The Met said the barriers are “designed specifically for hostile vehicle mitigation and are a national asset used around the UK”.