Transport for London (TfL) is to provide the police with real-time access to data from congestion charge cameras to allow them to track vehicles entering and leaving the zone, which covers the centre of the capital.

Anti-terror officers will be exempted from parts of the Data Protection Act to allow them to see the date, time and location of vehicles in real-time.

Police are believed to have used the cameras to track the routes of two cars used in last month’s alleged bombing attempts in London.

Officers will be able to view pictures from 1,500 cameras, which use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to link cars to their owners.

The Metropolitan Police will also receive a real-time flow of bulk ANPR data from TfL, but it will only be used for national security purposes and not ordinary crime.

Previously, police had to apply for access to the cameras on a case-by-case basis because of concerns over privacy.

The Met will report annually to data protection watchdog the Information Commissioner. The scheme will also be reviewed in three months’ time.