Christmas shoppers have been urged by the Home Secretary to remain vigilant against the threat of terrorism and go with their “instincts” if they spot suspicious behaviour.

Police figures last month revealed that between October 7 and 25, following the Hamas attack on Israel, the anti-terror hotline received around 1,350 reports, more than twice the number of contacts compared to the same period last year.

The number of reports with information useful to investigators went up by nearly four times to 200.

On Tuesday evening, James Cleverly visited the Christmas market at London’s Trafalgar Square to see Counter Terrorism Policing’s “winter vigilance” campaign in action.

Mr Cleverly said: “Since the terrible terrorist atrocities in Israel on October 7 and the military action in Gaza, there has been a lot of reporting (of suspected terror incidents in the UK).

“What we want is for people to know that they can go about their winter shopping, their Christmas shopping, feeling safe and secure.

“Operation winter vigilance is about making sure they are safe whilst they’re out having fun. But the message we’re saying is that if people see something, if they’re worried about something, if something doesn’t look right, go with your instincts, contact the police.

“They’re here to help. And they’re here to make sure everyone can enjoy Christmas in safety and security.”