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Undercover stunt highlights security

An in-depth report highlighting security on the London Eye is winging its to the Metropolitan Police after an investigation by the South London Press.

The move comes after an undercover reporter from the paper was able to smuggle what it describes as a “suspect electrical device” onto the attraction with ease.

Now the paper is calling for tighter security on the Eye and is sending a full report on the investigation to the anti-terrorism branch at the Met.

The lapse comes at a time when concerns are mounting over terrorist attacks in London following bombings at Hammersmith Bridge and the MI6 headquarters.

The unnamed reporter was able to buy a ticket and then queue with other passengers without undergoing any checks.

Lambeth Council leader Tom Franklin, whose borough includes the attraction, said: “When the Eye is full, it carries more passengers than a jumbo jet. It is insane to assume it’s not a terrorist threat.”

But Millennium Eye manager Andrew Potter said: “We have a series of rigorous security measures in place which includes 24-hour monitoring of the attraction and the site by CCTV cameras.

“We carry out random bag searches and the capsules are searched following each revolution. These procedures exceed those in place at other similar tourist attractions.”

Security had been breached three times prior to the South London Press investigation.

Eco-protesters scaled the wheel whilst it was under the construction in October 1999 and last August, a campaigner against sanctions in Iraq tied itself to the rim.

The latest scare came in December when 50 Kurdish protesters brought the wheel to a standstill in a bid to highlight the plight of friends and relatives in Turkey.

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