The incidents occurred within two hours of each other, with the buildings evacuated and road closures and cordons put up at Waterloo.

The first package was spotted at 9.55am at The Compass Centre in Hounslow.

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A Met spokesman said: “The building was evacuated as a precaution. Specialist officers attended and the package was made safe.”

It is not clear whether or not the device was a bomb or not.

British Transport Police responded to reports of a suspicious package at Waterloo station at 11.40am.

They said: “The item is currently being assessed by specialist teams. Cordons are in place however train services continue to operate as normal at this time.”

The Met Police responded to another package at City Aviation House in Newham half an hour later.

The force said: “Staff were evacuated from the building. Specialist officers are at the scene. Enquiries are ongoing.”

The Docklands Light Railway was suspended to London City Airport and all road access to the airport was closed for around two hours, although flights were still landing and walking access was possible.

A spokesman for City airport said it is open and flights are operating as normal.

A Heathrow spokewoman said: “Earlier today, police responded to reports of an incident in the Compass Centre. Police response teams and the emergency services attended quickly, enabling colleagues to evacuate safely without injury.

“Heathrow Airport remains operational, flights are not impacted and passengers are able to travel as normal. The police are treating this as a criminal act and we will be assisting with this investigation.”

BTP, the Met Police and Scotland Yard said it was too early to confirm whether the incidents were linked and that “enquiries continue”.

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