Exploding bus in ‘Jackie Chan’ filming on Lambeth Bridge. Image: Lambeth Bridge

Lambeth Bridge in central London has been covered in smoke as a London red double-decker bus exploded for a film stunt.

The upcoming hollywood movie ‘The Foreigner’, which stars Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, is set to be released later this year.

Just another day on the River... https://t.co/Ts3bojblmk

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LAMBETH FIRE (@FireLambeth) February 07, 2016

Casino Royale and Goldeneye director Martin Campbell, has given this tagline for the film:

The IRA took his family. The Police looked the other way. Now he must get revenge.

A number of witnesses said they feared it was a terrorist attack, and the bus explosion reminded them of the horrific attacks of the 7/7 bombings.

Chris Cheeseman told the Guardian he saw what he described as ‘a grim aftermath,’ with dummy bodies visible on the top deck.

Sophie Kinsella also said children in a park near to the bridge were ‘freaked.’

Even the National Police Air Service based at Redhill had been unaware of the film stunt and were alarmed when flying over the wreckage.

Noticed this on Lambeth bridge as we passed. Got v worried until we realised they were filming! #theforeigner https://t.co/cq8rpGoszD

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NPAS Redhill (@NPAS_Redhill) February 07, 2016

The Port of London Authority confirmed it was a stunt for a film, and that the bridge was closed off.

They also said local residents and businesses had been warned of a ‘controlled explosion’ between the hours of 9 and 10 am.

A couple more pics from Lambeth Bridge taken earlier. JM https://t.co/XlHUue8bOc

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NPAS Redhill (@NPAS_Redhill) February 07, 2016

The conservative MP for Mid- Worcestershire Nigel Huddleston posted a video of the explosion on his Twitter feed and asked if anyone had been worried by the event.

Anyone worried about the exploding bus on Lambeth Bridge just now? It was just for a movie. https://t.co/1ypWZZ6jPp

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Nigel Huddleston MP (@HuddlestonNigel) February 07, 2016

It was reported in the Guardian that he said:

Walking past parliament a few minutes later, some tourists clearly had no idea whether it was real or not.

It is great that London is such a desirable location for filming but the filmmakers and authorities could clearly have done a better job at communicating – especially in times of heightened security.