LOCAL people responded with horror to last weekend's terrorist rampage in central London which left eight dead and nearly fifty injured.

And they praised the actions of the emergency services during the atrocity at London Bridge and Borough Market, where three terrorists mowed people down with a van, then began stabbing their victims before being shot dead by police.

Keighley Labour parliamentary candidate John Grogan said: "I know the area around London Bridge well and it's one of the most vibrant areas of our capital city.

"The fast response of the police and other emergency services was incredible.

"After the election it's essential that the new Government both invests more to increase the number of police, and carries out a fundamental review of our anti terrorist and anti radicalisation strategy.

"Keighley Conservative parliamentary candidate Kris Hopkins said: “My thoughts are with those affected by the sickening events in London. There is no excuse or justification for terrorism.”

Keighley Central councillor Zafar Ali said local people must be vigilant against those who incite hatred to try and provoke even more mass murder.

"The people responsible for these savage, atrocious attacks cannot divide us, they will be defeated," he said.

West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, said: "I want to pay tribute to the professionalism of the emergency responders last Saturday night and to those brave members of the public.

"There's no doubt our police and emergency services do a fantastic job, but we need to work together collectively even more to try and prevent these tragedies happening in the first place.

“We cannot let people who want to cause harm dictate how we live and work, and I want to reassure people in West Yorkshire that their public safety remains our top priority.

“The diversity of West Yorkshire is one of its greatest strengths and community cohesion is vital to ensure our communities feel safe.

“We're fortunate to have the North East Counter Terrorism Unit and a committed team of local authority coordinators across West Yorkshire who work to help prevent people being drawn into extremism.

"But if we are to stop terrorist attacks we must be able to more effectively identify and support people who are vulnerable, and disrupt those who seek to radicalise others.

"That's why I've been calling for a Government review of counter-terrorism, including the Prevent strand for some time, as well as more resources for policing our communities."

Young people from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association Keighley were out last weekend collecting funds to support people affected by the terrorist bombing in Manchester, which occurred only two weeks before the latest killings in London.

Children from Keighley as young as seven were at Booths supermarket, in Ilkley, raising funds for the Manchester Emergency Fund through the British Red Cross.

Dr Adeem Rubani, youth leader for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association Keighley, said: "We'd like to thank the people of Ilkley for their amazing generosity and kind words.

"As always, we totally condemn the recent attacks in Manchester and London. The individuals who carry them out do not represent our religion at all, and we'll do all we can to win the hearts of the people of our beloved country through our good deeds.

"Our prayers are with all those who were affected by these barbaric attacks."