The A13 was partially closed for more than 11 hours as officers tried to recover ammunition that had fallen off the top of a police vehicle.

The items had been placed on the roof of an armed response vehicle, but fell into the road as officers drove off to support colleagues on a firearms operation.

Police were called at 10.14am on Wednesday to the eastbound A13, close to Prince Regent Lane, to reports of items on the carriageway.

A “quantity of ammunition and ancillary items” were recovered, a Met Police spokesperson said.

As of 9pm, part of the A13 remained closed while searches continued, though the Met confirmed there was no danger to the public.

The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed and established that the incident was due to “human error”.

The officer concerned has been spoken to and will be subject to an internal learning process, the spokesperson added.

The Met Police apologised for disruption caused to those travelling on the A13 and thanked motorists for their co-operation during the closure.