Tower in darkness as a mark of respect to those slaughtered in terror attack

And at noon tomorrow the Town Hall flag will fly at half-mast with the Tower lit up red, white and blue.

Council leader Simon Blackburn said: “The shocking events in Westminster today are of very grave concern to us all, and on behalf of the people of Blackpool, I send our deepest condolences to the families of the people who have been killed, including the police officer who was killed in the line of duty.

“The bravery and unwavering commitment of the police, paramedics, fire and rescue service, and all of the hospital staff who will be involved, is truly inspirational, and serve to remind us of why we should be incredibly proud to be British.

“I have instructed officers to lower the Union flag to half-mast tomorrow morning and arranged for the lights on Blackpool Tower to be switched off last night, and lit in red, white and blue from lunchtime tomorrow.

“There is no reason to think that Blackpool is at any greater risk of attack than anywhere else, and I want to reassure people that we have very clear risk assessments and emergency plans in place, which are reviewed regularly.”