Yahoo Finance 
Iconic Piccadilly Circus billboard lights switched off until autumn
The world famous Piccadilly Lights have gone dark after they were switched off for renovations this morning.
Visitors from across the world have marvelled at the electrical advertisement billboard in central London for more than a century but they will now be dimmed for months.
Onlookers watched as the lights vanished at 8.30am – the first time since World War Two that they have been switched off, excluding power cuts and special events.
MORE: Man claims to have invented the Oreo Creme Egg two years before Cadbury
MORE: Students discover 19th century cave under their rented house
Visitors will now have to wait until autumn to see them lit up again, with a temporary advertising banner in its place during that time.
Work on the billboard will see it return as a permanent single screen that will replace the current six screens.
And it won’t just be advertising beamed across the capital – the screen will also host live video streams and provide updates about world events, sports results and the weather.
Ros Morgan, chief executive of the Heart of London business alliance, said the new screen would “bring visitors an enhanced entertainment experience”.
Coca-Cola, who have been advertising in Piccadilly Circus since 1954, will continue its iconic residency when the lights come back on.
The lights were switched off in 1939 as part of World War Two blackouts and were not switched back on until 1949.
They were also blacked out during the funerals of Winston Churchill and Princess Diana.
Some 100 million people are estimated to see the lights as they pass through Piccadilly Circus every year.
Top pic: PA
