LONDON: Harry Potter and his sorcerer's ways were to blame for closing a busy London Underground train station on Sunday.
The schoolboy wizard was responsible for shutting down Westminster station, in the shadow of the iconic Houses of Parliament and close to other major tourist attractions like the London Eye ferris wheel and Westminster Abbey.
The interchange station, which serves three Underground lines, was closed to allow filming for the next instalment in the blockbuster movie series, based on J K Rowling's best-selling children's books.
It is likely the location was being used for shooting "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", the fifth film in the series which is due for release next year.
In the book, Potter and sidekick Arthur Weasley use the "Tube" to attend a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic.
"Westminster Tube station will be closed all day today, with trains non-stopping, for a commercial filming project," said a Transport for London spokeswoman.
"Planned closures are timed to cause minimum disruption to passengers and commercial requests such as this are subject to an agreed fee. There has been advanced publicity in the area to warn passengers of any potential disruption to their journey."
The first six books in the Potter series have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide and been translated into 63 languages.
The seventh novel is reportedly due to be published next year at the earliest.
