Britain’s famous illuminations to switch off during lockdown

The Blackpool Illuminations, an annual lights festival in Britain, will be switched off at midnight on Wednesday due to the four-week lockdown in England imposed to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Blackpool Council said that the annual display, which was first switched on on September 18, 1879, will remain suspended until further notice, the BBC reported.

The Council however, said that Blackpool Tower, which has become a "symbol of hope and optimism throughout this pandemic", will remain lit.

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

The illuminations were due to continue for an additional two months this season, until January 3, 2021, to aid the Blackpool town's tourism trade hit by the COVID-19 restrictions.

The town, also a seaside resort, is located on the Lancashire coast in North West England.

The month-long national lockdown is due to come into force on Thursday until December 2.

But authorities have said that it might last longer if the rate of COVID-19 infections in England does not reduce.