The hour the Earth went dark

Big Ben and the London Eye switched off their lights for Earth Hour, joining the Eiffel Tower, Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

The annual event, organised by conservation organisation WWF, saw more than 700 iconic landmarks worldwide go dark at 8.30pm local time, as millions of homes turned off their power.

Earth Hour started in Samoa and will finish in Tahiti, sweeping through 24 time zones and six continents as some of the most recognisable buildings in the world turned out the lights.

The Palace of Westminster, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and even Blackpool Tower were among those switching off, as well as more than 30 Unesco World Heritage sites.

Earth Hour was launched in 2007 in Australia and has spread globally since

Last year nine million people in the UK took part, lighting candles in their homes as they switched off lights in their homes, as part of a record-breaking chain of 162 countries.

Yesterday Prince Charles appeared in a video message, alongside a photograph of him and his grandson Prince George, calling on Britain to do more to protect our planet for future generations.

(dailymail.co.uk)