ST HELENS MP Conor McGinn has spoken of his devastation over the death of a police officer following the terrorist attack on Westminster, yesterday.

The St Helens North MP, who was in lockdown at Parliament after the attack, tweeted: “It is utterly devastating to know that a police officer lost his life protecting us and our Parliament. They are the best and the bravest.”

The assault on London started with an assailant driving a car erratically down the pavement on Westminster Bridge, knocking down and injuring pedestrians.

He then stabbed a policeman and was shot dead by police in the Parliament grounds.

Both St Helens MPs put out messages following the attack while they were locked inside Parliament.

St Helens South and Whiston MP Marie Rimmer wrote on Twitter she was "safely locked down in parliament", while St Helens North MP Conor McGinn sent his prayers out to those affected.

It has been confirmed that there are currently four deaths with at least 29 more injured and seven in hospital in critical condition.

Those dead include PC Keith Palmer, as well as a woman in her mid-40s and a man in his mid-50s, who were mown down on Westminster Bridge by the assailant’s car.

The attacker is also dead.

Two of the injured are confirmed as Edge Hill University students Travis Frain from Darwen and Owen Lambert from Morecambe, who were on a school trip and reportedly on the bridge during the attack.

Seven people have been arrested in raids in London, Birmingham and elsewhere linked to the incident after six addresses were raided overnight.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the "working assumption" was that the attack was linked to "Islamic terrorism in some form".