ONE OF Hampshire's iconic buildings will be plunged into darkness during Earth Hour.

Winchester Cathedral, pictured, has agreed to take part in Lights Out Hampshire. It will switch off its floodlights for an hour on March 29 and keep them off for the rest of the weekend.

A spokeswoman said: "The cathedral lights and floodlights will go off at 8pm.

"We felt it was important to support the Lights Out Hampshire initiative. It is encouragement for us all to think about our green impact."

Hampshire County Council is also switching off all non-essential lights and appliances.

The council will turn off lights for one hour at its Winchester headquarters as well as at the city crown court, the Discovery Centre, Great Hall, Serle's House and the Gladstone Street car park.

Council leader Ken Thornber said: "All of Hampshire has a responsibility to protect the planet for future generations and that is why we are giving our backing to Global Earth Hour.

"Helping to cut greenhouse gases and reducing the carbon footprint is one of the council's main priorities. We have been addressing the issue for about a decade and were among the first councils in the UK to commit to reducing climate change.

"In 2006 we set up the Climate Change Commission to improve our understanding of the likely impacts of a changing climate and to prioritise actions to prepare us for the changes ahead."