Helicopter filming for Sherlock Holmes movie at Tower Bridge

Sherlock Holmes is directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Robert Downey Jr as Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective and Jude Law as Dr Watson.

Mark Strong, who plays villain Lord Blackwood, revealed Tower Bridge's crucial role in the movie to Total Film magazine.

"There's a fantastic sequence where we duel to the death on a half-built Tower Bridge," he said.

"It's a perfect way to end the movie, Robert and I hammering seven bells out of each other on top of this swinging bridge with Victorian London as a backdrop. It's going to be amazing."

Butler's Wharf residents got an early wake-up call on Sunday morning with low-level helicopter filming starting just after 8am.

The river was closed to boat traffic by the Port of London Authority for 20 minutes of each hour during Sunday morning to allow the filming to take place.

Meanwhile the police stopped vehicles and pedestrians from crossing the bridge for short periods whilst the helicopter was overhead.

The movie is due for release in mid-November.