'Driverless' taxi veers into London crime scene

A driverless taxi company has apologised after one of its cars veered into a crime scene in north London.

The Waymo cab was filmed driving straight into a police cordon on High Street, Harlesden, on Wednesday night.

The US firm, which plans to be operating a robotaxi service in London by September, said the car was in manual mode "with a validation driver in full control". The driver has been suspended pending an investigation.

Waymo said after "a brief interaction" with police officers, the driver reversed the vehicle and safely exited the area.

The company, which apologised for any disruption, added that their analysis suggested that had the automated driving system been engaged at the time, it would have correctly identified the police tape and stopped the vehicle automatically.

"We are currently coordinating with our operations partner to address this matter."

The car was not carrying passengers as Waymo is "still in the testing phase", according to the firm.

The crime scene was put in place on Wednesday evening after a 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm following an altercation.

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