UK government has banned a tell-all book about Metropolitan Police crackdown on terrorists written by former anti-terror chief.

"The Terrorist Hunters" which is a memoir by retired assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Andy Hayman was banned the night before it was due to hit the shelves on Thursday.

The attorney general's office announced the injunction just before midnight on Wednesday.

The reason behind the court ruling has not been released because of ongoing investigations in the cases covered in the book.

The book gives the inside story of one of the UK's head prosecutors in the fight against extremism.

The retired Scotland Yard assistant commissioner's account includes untold details about the July 7 bombings and the killing of Brazilian Charles De Menezes a week after the incident.

Behind the scenes events of the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko's case is also covered by Hayman. Litvinenko reportedly died in hospital from radioactive toxicants in London in 2007.

Metropolitan commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has complained about such books being allowed to get published before having the contents checked with authorities.

"I find it surprising as commissioner that I have no right on this occasion to have access to the book before it is published. That surprises me. It is troublesome and it does not help good conduct," Stephenson told reporters.

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