Police searched students at South Thames College for knives and weapons using a metal detector last week.

A temporary knife arch was installed at the Wandsworth Town campus last Tuesday as students arrived for morning classes.

A spokesman for the college the move was not in response to any serious incidents and added that no weapons were found.

He said: “There haven’t been any incidents at the college for a long time. It’s more of a preventative measure.

“The feedback that we have received is that the students are positive about it. Not everybody is going to share that view, but the arch is there for the safety of the students.”

The operation was part of a series of routine checks police undertake regularly in the borough’s schools and colleges.