British police foiled five terror plots, including some being "very close" to an attack in recent weeks, Scotland Yard said today.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, the senior-most police officer of Britain, said the plots were very close to an attack, with some "within minutes" of being carried out.

"Just in the last few weeks, five [terror attacks]. And overall, it's well into the teens in the last few years where we know people were intent on attacking and that's been stopped. These are incidents where people have been charged, so I need to be careful about what I say, but some of them were very close to an attack. Very close," she told LBC radio.

"In addition, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of arrests of people who are radicalised and are either spreading hatred or supporting terrorism or want to carry out terrorist attacks. We've had a huge number of successful operations, together with the intelligence agencies," Cressida said.

The Met Police chief, who was previously the lead on counter-terrorism, praised officers for their response to recent terror attacks in London, most recently at the London Bridge last month that claimed eight lives.

"At London Bridge it was utterly astonishing", she said.

The attackers were shot dead by armed police within eight minutes of the first emergency call.

Cressida appealed for more information from the public to help the police tackle the terror threat.

"We clearly need a lot more [information] because what has happened in the last few months alone is horrific. We are undoubtedly seeking examples of people who have carried out attacks or people who are violent extremists. Essentially they're living in our communities and that's a problem for all of us," she said.

The UK has been rocked by many terror attacks this year, including an attack on Parliament in March which claimed five lives, a suicide bombing in Manchester which killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert and the London Bridge attack.