Nearly 200 litter bins and recycling points have been relocated or sealed up since the bomb attacks on 7 July and failed explosions two weeks later.

Most of them were close to train and Tube stations in central London.

Westminster, Camden, Lambeth and Croydon Councils said they had taken the action on advice from the Metropolitan Police.

Fight against terrorism

Bins and recycle points have gone from outside most of central London's Tube stations, including Baker Street, Covent Garden, Bond Street and Paddington, and near to some bus shelters.

They have also been removed from the streets surrounding Waterloo and Euston train stations and have been sealed up in Queens Gardens, Croydon.

The Corporation of London removed all the litter bins in the square mile after the Met Police brought in the ring of steel following the Bishopsgate bomb in 1993.

They started introducing bomb proof Kevlar-lined bins in 1999.

We want the public to know that we are doing what needs to be done at a time when there are would-be bombers on the loose Westminster Council spokesman

Westminster Council said it was advised to remove its bins as a safety precaution in the days following the bombings on 7 July.

A Council spokesman said: "Our first concern is for our residents and the people who pass through Westminster.

"The police have a very important job to do at this difficult time and we want to facilitate that in any way we can.

"We have already helped them in a number of ways; with the clean up of the areas affected by the bombs, the removal of flowers and the opening of a family assistance centre.

"We want the public to know that we are doing what needs to be done at a time when there are would-be bombers on the loose."