Police in London said on Thursday that they arrested a man after a small passenger car crashed into security gates on Downing Street, home to the prime minister's residence and other government buildings. 

"At around 16:20hrs [1520 GMT/UTC] a car collided with the gates of Downing Street on Whitehall," Westminster police said on Twitter. "Armed officers arrested a man at the scene on suspicion on criminal damage and dangerous driving. There are no reports of any injuries. Enquiries are ongoing." 

Initial footage of the slow-speed crash did not show any major damage, television cameras captured a gray-haired man being led away by police.

The area is one of the most heavily fortified sites in London, with public access restricted and police guards stationed there round the clock. 

It was not clear from the footage whether the crash was intentional. Police said they were working to establish the circumstances. 

The area around the site was briefly cordoned off, as were some government buildings in Whitehall, but most of these restrictions were lifted again soon after the incident.

Police do not suspect terrorist motive

City of Westminster police later issued an update saying that a small cordon remained in place outside Downing Street after the collision. 

"The incident is being dealt with by local officers in Westminster and isn't currently being treated as terror-related," police said. 

kb/msh (Reuters, AP)