As part of our coverage 20 years after the 9/11 attacks, we asked our readers to share their memories of the day they heard the news.

AS TODAY marks 20 years since 9/11 - a day that shocked the entire world - we asked Cumbrians where they were on the day.

The terrorist attack was a day that no one can forget. 2,996 people were killed as two planes hit the World Trade Centre in New York.

Everybody remembers where they were on that day, and here some people from around our county share their memories of the attack.

Jill Carson was only a teenager when the planes hit the famous twin towers, she said: "I was 17 and had come home from sixth form, put the telly on just as the aeroplane hit the second tower live on the news.

"I thought it was a film at first 'til we realised it was the news and real life. The world changed that day."

Sarah Mossop , a shop manager at the time of the attacks, recalled the amount of people coming into the store she worked to watch the news. She said:"I was manager of Radio Rentals in Penrith.

"All the tv’s were set on the same channel and I remember looking at the screen closest to me thinking that it was an advert for some disaster movie.

"People came in to watch what was unfurling, in silence. No one could speak, it was beyond words."

Colin Bowman was a fireman at the time and recounts the whole day as being surreal. He said: "As a fire officer I was at the Fire Services College, would you believe on an Aviation Firefighting Course.

"We abandoned the day's tuition and watched in horror as the day developed, thinking this is not real."

Lina Pinto lived in America at the time of the attacks. She felt the repercussions of the attacks in the days and weeks afterwards. She said: "I was actually in Boston, Massachusetts working/training and ended up finding out that two of the terrorists had lived just a few streets away from me.

"It was like something out of a film, those were scary days afterwards.

"Having cops stop your car all the time trying to find out where you were going."

Bill Faerestrand was trying to get an aeroplane when the chaos of the attacks ensued.

He said: "I was stuck at Luton airport trying to get home. All planes grounded. Didn't get home 'till early morning following day."

Kaye Klingner said: "I was at Manchester Malaysian airlines office trying to change my ticket. There was no one at the desk. They were all listening to the news feed and trying to work out what had happened. I'll never forget that moment, it was eerily chaotic."