Tower Bridge is to be reopened to traffic later this morning, as the Met police continue their efforts to remove a lone protester who refuses to come down from a nearby crane.

Police expect to have traffic flowing across the bridge by about 11.30, it was announced this morning.

This comes after more than four days of serious disruption caused by the protester.

The man, David Chick, who is dressed as Spiderman, climbed the crane last Friday morning to begin a protest about the rights of fathers to see their children.

He has reportedly been denied access to his daughter.

Police were forced to close Tower Bridge and nearby East Smithfield to traffic, as soon as he climbed the crane.

Traffic was diverted over other bridges, causing delays of up to an hour for some commuters.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said he had spoken with Met Commissioner Sir John Stevens, and had agreed the protest was not acceptable.

There was likely to be an announcement from the Met regarding the protest later this afternoon, the Mayor said.

Mr Livingstone also said that, if Mr Chick was intending to demonstrate how some fathers deserved more responsibility with children, he had clearly not succeeded.

“The man is putting his life at risk and putting Londoners’ lives at risk,” Mr Livingstone said.