Liam Gallagher, the former lead singer for the Manchester-based rock band Oasis, tweeted this response to the attack.

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Joanne Johnson said people "didn't realise at first" what the blast was and "thought it might be something technical".

"When people from the back of the arena started streaming into the main arena, the screams were horrific and you knew it was something serious," she said.

“For people to run from the exit area inside where they had nowhere else to go, you knew it was serious," Joanne added.

The BBC's entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson says he will be very surprised if Take That begin the first of their three-night tour at Manchester Arena tomorrow.

He said he would also be surprised if Ariana Grande plays at the O2 Arena in London tomorrow.

Sir Richard tells the same conference that Manchester has had some dark days in the past but he cannot think of anything that matches the horror of last night.

He says as a city Manchester will have to take some time to grieve.

He says Manchester has to ensure terrorism never wins.

Sir Richard says Manchester will not allow the attack to divide communities.

"A dark day, yes, but something that Manchester, in its own unique way, will make sure that we turn into a strength for us as a city by working together."

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has just given a press conference with the leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese.

He said after the "darkest of nights" Manchester was waking up to "the most difficult of dawns".

He says the attack was "an evil act".

Mr Burnham says Manchester is "grieving, but we are strong". He says it will be business as usual as far as possible.

He praises the people of Manchester for opening their doors to those affected by the attack and doing what they can to help.

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Lee Dodderidge, a former member of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, has described the nature of the attack in Manchester as "sophisticated".

He told Radio 5 live: "Alarms bells for me are ringing at the moment because this would have appeared to have taken quite considerable amount of planning.

"Albeit, some people may look at it and say is this lone wolf, it does indicate there was a lot of planning put into this attack."

Charlotte Campbell's daughter Olivia has been missing since the concert.

She told the BBC: "She's only a 15-year-old girl, she's out there on her own because her friend has been found.

"If anyone sees her contact me. Give her your phone and let her ring me. I just want her home."

Editor of regional newspaper Manchester Evening News tweets...

Image source, Peter Byrne

Twenty-two people, including children, are now known to have been killed in a suspected terror attack at Manchester Arena.

Another 59 were injured.

The blast happened around 22:35 BST on Monday at the end of a pop concert by the US singer Ariana Grande.

Greater Manchester Police said the lone male attacker, who died in the blast, was carrying an improvised explosive device which he detonated.

Relatives are using social media to hunt for missing loved ones.

Police have set up an emergency telephone number in response to the attack. It is: 0161 856 9400.

Read our updated story here.

Relatives are using social media to hunt for missing loved ones, including children, caught up in the incident.

The chief constable has finished speaking but he provided several significant updates.

As well as confirming that the death toll has risen from 19 to 22, and children are among the deceased, he gave some extra details about the suspected attacker.

He said police believe at this stage the attack was conducted by one man.

But he said the priority for police was to establish if he was acting alone or as part of a network.

He confirmed the attacker died at the arena.

He said officers believe the man was carrying an improvised explosive device, which he detonated.

The chief constable asked people not to speculate on the attacker's name.

He is now asked about the age of the victims. He says he does not have that detail to hand but confirms there are children among the dead.

He does not confirm if the attacker was a British national.

The chief constable says terrorists will attempt to "disrupt our lives" and says it is important to remain vigilant but go about daily lives.

He says the public should report suspicious activity to the force's anti-terror hotline - 0800 789 321.