Entertainers taking part in a parade at the Notting Hill carnival. Picture: Sean Dempsey/PA Archive

This year’s Notting Hill Carnival is under way, with more than one million revellers expected to enjoy the 48th instalment of Europe’s biggest street festival.

Colourful floats and dancers are winding their way along the three and a half mile route, to an accompaniment of 40 sound systems.

This year’s Carnival has been overshadowed by London’s incredible summer of sport, with few details released by organisers in what was a low key build-up.

A huge security operation has seen 5,000 police officers drafted in to help keep order today (Sunday).

They made 27 arrests prior to this morning of suspected troublemakers.

Commander Bob Broadhurst is in charge of the policing operation. He said: “If you’re coming to this year’s event we want you to have a safe and enjoyable time. Please look after your belongings, and particularly keep an eye on your mobile phone.

“Almost half of those people who were victims of pickpockets last year had a mobile phone taken.”

Stop and search is being used employed in a “targeted” fashion to snare suspected troublemakers, said Scotland Yard.

Free maps are being handed out by officers of the route and surrounding area in a bid to cut the number of phones stolen by thieves when revellers check for directions.