SWINDON’S LBGT community has reacted with horror and devastation to the news that 49 people were shot dead at a gay club in Orlando.

Tonight people are gathering outside the civic offices in Euclid Street to hold a minute’s silence and mourn those who had been massacred, hurt or held hostage by gunman Omar Mateen, 29, on Sunday inside Pulse night club.

“We are all devastated,” said Marc Schofield, 39, who runs the Mail Coach gay bar with Martin Jones in Fleet Street.

“You go on a night out and you expect to be safe and enjoy yourself with your friends and then something like this happens.

"We just couldn’t believe this has happened to a community. When you hear customers they are completely gutted as well."

More than 300 people were inside the nightclub in Florida when the sound of gunfire was first heard just after 2am local time.

The killer fired repeatedly before taking dozens of revellers hostage, leading to a stand-off lasting around three hours.

Authorities in Orlando confirmed that 49 people were killed in the shooting in the early hours of Sunday, with 53 others injured. All but one of the victims have been identified and the families of 24 have been informed.

Mateen, the 50th person to die, was killed by SWAT officers when he opened fire at police after himself crawling out of the hole made to rescue the nightclubbers.

Keen to pull together and show their solidarity, the Mail Coach will close at 6.30pm and those inside will walk to the civic offices for 7pm to pay their respects. They are also encouraging other communities to join them.

Marc added: “Some of the customers said they’ve heard other cities and towns are pulling together and doing a gathering, so I spoke to Jo Sharpe, chair of Swindon and Wiltshire Pride, and said a few customers had asked if Swindon was going to do anything.

“We want to show that we are a community that will not be hurt and wants to show its support, along with everyone else in the country. Some of our customers here feel quite strongly they should be doing something to support that.

“People around town are talking about what has happened and I think it shows all communities are pulling together to support each other in a time of need and to show support to the victims, families and friends in Orlando. It’s just a sad time.

“I always believe we should love everyone and there should be no hate. Unfortunately the world is not like that all the time, it’s just about educating people about what the gay community is."

Mateen pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State (IS) during the attack.