PEOPLE across the district have been paying their respects to the country's fallen servicemen and women with a two minute silence this morning.

At 11am this Armistice Day hundreds stopped to remember those past and present who have died fighting for Britain's Armed Forces.

At the district council offices in Epping High Street councillors, staff, residents and Royal British Legion members paid their tributes.

Chairman of the council, Cllr Penny Smith said: "This has been a momentous year. We have seen the passing of the last British Tommies who fought in the trenches of the First World War.

"Despite the passing of time, the Act of Remembrance remains as important today as it has ever been.

"Thousands of miles away, our armed forces continue to place themselves in harm’s way for us.”

“And we should remember those who fought in World War II as we remember all conflicts since 1945."

Many residents stopped their usual routines at 11am to mark the silence, as did staff from across the public sector.

In Chelmsford, the district's paramedics observed the silence at the East of England Ambulance Service headquarters, while many businesses also stopped and paused.