Speeding jet skis were chased down the River Thames by marine police officers on Friday night.

A group of four jet skis were seen travelling past Canary Wharf at round 6.30pm heading towards central London, before being chased back the other way by police boats a short while later.

The police later abandoned the high speed pursuit “for safety reasons”.

Eyewitness Leigh Jackson, 34, said he saw the vessels “screeching past” his home in Surrey Quays.

“You often do see police boats coming up and down here patrolling, but you don’t often see them engaged in a chase,” he added.

A police spokeswoman said: “The jet skis were approaching central London and the Marine Policing Unit were able to make them change their course.

“Following this the decision was taken to no longer pursue the jet skis for safety reasons.”