Police investigating a report that a shot was fired at a taxi carrying Ian Hislop in central London have found no evidence of this.

“Urgent CCTV and forensic examinations” instead suggested a mechanical fault with the vehicle, which caused the rear window to shatter, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.

Mr Hislop, who has edited the satirical magazine Private Eye since 1986, said on Wednesday evening that police had completed their forensic work and found “no evidence of a firearm discharge”. He thanked “all concerned for their support and concern”.

Neither Mr Hislop nor the driver, who reported the matter to the Met, was injured in the incident on Dean Street in Soho on Tuesday morning.

An earlier statement issued on behalf of the Have I Got News For You star by Private Eye said police were initially looking into the possibility of a shot having been fired but believed it was likely there was a “more innocent explanation for what happened”.

The Guardian first reported that the cab driver thought his vehicle had been fired at.