London's buses are to be equipped with a sensor system in order to help reduce the number of accidents on the capital's roads.

The technology alerts bus drivers when pedestrians and cyclists are moving close to their vehicles, helping to prevent collisions.

Transport for London has confirmed that a six-week trial of the systems is to be conducted on four buses, two on route 25 and two on route 73.

CycleEye, developed by Fusion Processing Limited, uses radar and optical technology to detect nearby cyclists before issuing an audible warning to the driver.

Cycle Safety Shield can detect pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists in close proximity to a vehicle, alerting the driver to their presence using a visual warning followed by an audible one.

Isabel Dedring, deputy mayor for transport, said: "We've seen real improvements in reducing the number of accidents on our streets involving buses and if this trial proves successful we'll look to roll it out further across London's fleet."

A report detailing the findings of the scheme will be released next year, along with suggested next steps.