G20 group 'impersonated police'

An Alvis Saracen similar to that used during the protests

A group of protestors who drove an armoured car through central London allegedly dressed as police have been charged with impersonating officers.

The six-wheeled Alvis Saracen, a model once used by the British Army in Northern Ireland, was stopped in the City at the height of the protests.

Police said the group wore blue clothes and helmets. The van was signed "riot".

All 11 crew members were given bail and are due to appear at City of London Magistrates Court from 3 September.

The names of the accused have not been made available.

The law says it is an offence for those who are not police officers to wear uniform "in circumstances where it gives him an appearance so nearly resembling that of a member of a police force as to be calculated to deceive".