Torch relay hit by Tibet protests

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Police made 15 arrests as protesters tried to board the official bus, to jump in front of it, to put out the torch and to grab it off TV presenter Konnie Huq during her run.

Britain's greatest Olympian, the five-times rowing champion Sir Steve Redgrave, took the first leg of the 31-mile trip passing the Olympic flame to 16-year-old schoolgirl Cheyenne Green at a frosty Wembley Stadium.

A mobile protective ring remained around the torch, including a team of police cyclists in a convoy of security, VIP and media vehicles.

Two activists were arrested after attempting to put out the torch with fire extinguishers. Martin Wyness and Ashley Darby were waiting with their equipment on the corner of Holland Park Avenue and Ladbroke Grove.

In a statement, the pair said the relay was a propaganda campaign by China to cover its "appalling human rights record".

Hundreds of noisy banner-waving protesters lined Bayswater Road calling for a free Tibet. Many were wearing Tibetan flags and carrying signs which read "Stop the killing in Tibet", "No Olympic torch in Tibet" and "China talk to Dalai Lama".

Dozens of police lined the road in front of the demonstrators who were chanting slogans including "Human rights. Not a game".

At least a thousand protestors gathered opposite Downing Street where a sea of flags, banners and balloons could be seen, with chants calling for a free Tibet sounding along the length of Whitehall.

The veterans in exile and members of the Free Tibet movement crammed the pavement, with some vying for position on walls and stairways. Police were out in force lining the streets in front of the demonstration.