The BBC's Joe Paley: Pinochet is staying in London but it is not clear where

General Pinochet is still under arrest following Spanish requests for his extradition despite a High Court ruling on Wednesday that he is immune from prosecution.

Scotland Yard said the transfer was made following discussions between a police medical examiner and General Pinochet's doctor.

The former Chilean military ruler had been recovering from back surgery at the London Clinic near Harley Street.

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that the 82-year-old has been moved to the Grovelands Priory Hospital, Southgate, north London.

Pinochet: also awaiting Spanish ruling

Plans to move General Pinochet emerged at an initial hearing before Bow Street magistrates on Wednesday night.

It followed the High Court ruling which quashed the arrest warrants detaining him in London, pending a prosecution appeal to the House of Lords.

The court was told that the London Clinic was uneasy about the general's continued presence there.

His stay has attracted protesters and journalists from the around the world, and the attendant heavy police security.

Three High Court judges ruled on Wednesday that General Pinochet could not be detained in the UK on charges which stemmed from his actions as a former head of state of a foreign country.

Application for bail

Lawyers for General Pinochet, who was arrested earlier this month after arriving in the UK for a back operation, are expected to apply for bail on Friday.

Magistrates said they would consider holding the hearing in hospital if General Pinochet was too ill to attend court.

However the High Court said the former dictator should remain in detention pending appeals to the House of Lords, the highest court in Britain.

Lucia Pinochet: branded a killer by protesters

Legal action surrounding General Pinochet will also continue in Spain where a panel of judges is set to decide whether they have the authority to put the former Chilean leader on trial for genocide.

Shortly after Wednesday's High Court ruling in London, scuffles broke out outside the clinic, with demonstrators jeering as General Pinochet's wife, Lucia, his two daughters and his son arrived to see him.

A handful of Chilean protesters, who have maintained an almost constant vigil outside the hospital since his arrest, yelled "Asesina" (killer) at the family as they went inside.

Police then had to intervene to break up a minor scuffle which broke out as a delegation of right-wing Chilean parliamentarians arrived to visit General Pinochet.