SILENCE fell across East Lancashire yesterday as the area joined the rest of Europe in remembering the thousands of innocent people who died in the terrorist atrocities in New York and Washington.

For three minutes, shoppers, workers, traders and civic dignitaries stood still and bowed their heads, quietly contemplating the fate which had befallen so many people as a result of one of the worst acts of violence the world has ever witnessed. Outside Blackburn Town Hall, borough mayor John Williams stood alongside councillors and leaders of the area's ethnic communities in a show of unity against the hijackers.

The nearby shopping centre announced the start of the silence, with shop staff standing back from their tills and drivers on streets around the centre pulling over to mark the three minutes' silence.

A similar scene prevailed in Accrington, Burnley, Clitheroe, Colne and at the centre of communities throughout East Lancashire.

Blackburn Cathedral was full with people wishing to pray for those killed. Candles were lit, books of condolence signed and prayers handed out as Canon Andrew Hindley urged people 'to let the silence speak for them.'