Coronavirus lockdown: Blackpool Illuminations switched off

The council said it was "hugely disappointing" to have to switch off the light display

The Blackpool Illuminations are being switched off at midnight on Wednesday because of the four-week lockdown.

The month-long national lockdown is due to come into force on Thursday until 2 December, but may last longer.

The lights display is suspended until further notice but Blackpool Tower will remain lit, Blackpool Council has said.

The illuminations were due to shine for an extra two months this season, until 3 January, to aid the town's tourism trade hit by Covid-19 restrictions.

Businesses said hotels were "virtually empty" after mass cancellations

There has been a drop in infection rates in the resort, according to government figures, with 371.5 cases per 100,000 population in the week up to 30 October, down from 518 per 100,000 the previous week.

"It is hugely disappointing... but given the restrictions due to come in place on Thursday there is no real alternative," Labour councillor Gillian Campbell, cabinet member for tourism and culture, said.

"Corona heroes" switched on this year's Illuminations in a virtual ceremony at Blackpool Tower's ballroom on 4 September.

The council said Blackpool Tower, which has become a "symbol of hope and optimism throughout this pandemic", would still shine.

It was lit up with an SOS message for Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month as businesses in the town said they had "mass cancellations" on an "unimaginable scale" since moving into tier three Covid-19 restrictions.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach closed on Sunday in advance of Thursday's lockdown and said it would reopen on 6 February while other attractions in the resort, such as Blackpool Zoo, have announced they will close on Wednesday.