THE Runcorn Widnes bridge will be darker than usual as Halton Council supports Earth Hour.

The World Wide Fund for Nature is encouraging everyone to join the event on Saturday, March 29, by switching off all their non-essential lights for an hour.

All non-essential lights will be turned off on the Silver Jubilee bridge at 8.30pm.

Halton Council leader Clr Rob Polhill said: "We are proud to take part in Earth Hour and I'm sure our staff and many residents will be excited to be involved with such a great and inspiring event.

“Everyone can make a difference to help protect our planet and we all have a key role to play."

Hundreds of millions of individuals, thousands of iconic landmarks and buildings will join this unique display of darkness.

Last year, 154 countries joined the world’s biggest celebration under the stars. More than 10 million people in the UK took part, including 100 local authorities.

Big Ben and the London Eye are just some of the iconic landmarks which fall dark.

Shareen Brown, spokesman for WWF-UK, said: “We’re thrilled that Halton will be taking part in Earth Hour this year and hope that they’ll inspire many others to get involved.

“Earth Hour is more than just an hour of darkness, it’s a chance for people to come together and send a global message about the need to protect our planet.

“By taking one simple step to switch off, you’ll be joining millions of people from around the world in this special celebration.”

Everyone can sign up for WWF’s Earth Hour 2014 by visiting wwf.org.uk/earthhour.