Cost of guarding Julian Assange soars to £6 million

Scotland Yard said that 4.9 million of the bill resulted from the cost of diverting officers from normal duties to prevent the Australian-born 42-year-old escaping his west London sanctuary. A further 1 million has been spent on overtime.

Mr Assange has been holed up at the embassy since June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden where he is wanted over sexual offence allegations.

He denies sexually assaulting two women in Stockholm in 2010 and claims the accusations form part of a smear campaign against him that could lead to him being extradited to America.

Ministers have said, however, that this country has a legal duty to enforce Swedens extradition request, which has been backed by the British courts. Met officers have been deployed outside the embassy as a result.

Baroness Jenny Jones, deputy chair of the Police and Crime Committee at the London Assembly, today condemned the cost and said it should be paid by the Government.

She said: It is complete madness when we are struggling to keep police officers on the beat. The cost is falling on the London taxpayers as a net police cost. He could stay there for years.

A Met spokesman said: The total costs provided are an estimate based on averages as actual salary and overtime costs will vary daily.

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Cost of guarding Julian Assange soars to £6 million