MESSAGES of sympathy are being sent by councillors in the wake of the terrorist attack.

Speaking at the start of a Durham County Council meeting yesterday, council chairman Charles Magee asked members "to pause to share our thoughts and sympathies for the people of New York and Washington".

Councillor Magee said: "The appalling acts of terrorism beggared belief and left the world shocked and numbed.

"No matter how many times we watched the horrific events on television, the enormity of what happened became no easier to grasp."

He said the county council was sending letters of condolence to the US ambassador in London, William Farrish, and to the mayor and people of Durham in North Carolina "with whom we share a special relationship".

Coun Magee added: "Our prayers today must go out to the countless victims and their families, and our thoughts must be with the authorities and emergency services as they struggle to cope with the aftermath of this tragedy."