Armed police have been on patrol at Norwich International Airport to offer 'reassurance' following the deadly attacks in Belgium, it has emerged.

At least 31 people were killed and 270 injured in three suicide bomb attacks at an airport and metro station in Brussels on Tuesday morning, although the death toll could yet rise.

As a result of the attacks Sarah Hamlin, assistant chief constable of Norfolk and Suffolk police, said although there is no specific threat to this region, officers who are 'overtly armed' are in place and 'reassuring' people at the city's airport which is a gateway to Europe.

Assistant chief constable Hamlin, who was speaking at a Police Accountability Forum in Wymondham today, said thoughts went out to the family and friends who had lost loved ones following the 'terribly sad and tragic' events.

A Norfolk police spokesman said: 'We can confirm armed police are patrolling Norwich International Airport in order to provide visible reassurance following the terrorist attacks in Brussels.

'The patrols, which began on Wednesday (23 March), are not in response to any specific information or intelligence.'