Liverpool fans have gathered for an emotional memorial on the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, when 96 fans were crushed to death at a football match.
Thousands attended a service at Anfield to remember victims of the tragedy at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
During the service, a candle was lit in memory of each victim and their names were read out.
Bells tolled and Liverpool's public transport came to a stop for two minutes at 3.06pm this afternoon, exactly 20 years since the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was stopped.
The crowd, estimated at up to 30,000, stood solemnly as the two-minute silence was held.
After the silence, which was also observed in Nottingham and Sheffield, the crowd spontaneously broke out into dignified applause.
Kenny Dalglish, who was Liverpool's manager when the disaster took place, read from the Bible, Lamentations of Jeremiah.
In a sour moment, UK Sport Secretary Andy Burnham was heckled by some of the crowd in anger that no-one has been held to account for the tragedy.
Sheffield also marked the anniversary but after consultation with the Liverpool families' organisations, there was no formal ceremony at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough ground.
For relatives, survivors and those present on the day, the anniversary has revived the horror of Britain's worst sporting disaster, in which helpless fans were crushed to death in a matter of minutes.
'People will never forget that day; it's etched on our memories,' British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.
Mr Brown attacked press reports carried in the Sun newspaper at the time, which blamed Liverpool fans for the tragedy and bad behaviour as the disaster unfolded.
Such was the revulsion among Liverpool supporters that they organised a boycott of The Sun tabloid newspaper, which still sells just a fraction of the copies it did in the city pre-Hillsborough.
In the immediate aftermath of the Hillsborough tragedy, Lord Justice Peter Taylor was commissioned to conduct an inquiry that would have a far-reaching impact on the game.
Mr Taylor was deeply critical of the police response at Hillsborough, but his most significant recommendations were the removal of perimeter fencing and the creation of all-seater stadiums.
