The Archbishop of Canterbury was 'overwhelmed' by the terrorist attack on London, he said yesterday.

Archbishop Justin Welby was speaking ahead of the final service of his Thy Kingdom Come prayer initiative at Winchester Cathedral.

'I feel overwhelmed, as everyone does,' he said, 'thinking about the people who were out for a good evening together, identifying with them and obviously thinking about where our own children were as we were only a mile away.'

Seven people were killed and a further 48 injured, some critically, when three men drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge, and then stabbed people in the surrounding area, on Saturday night.

'We acknowledge the reality of evil,' said the Archbishop, 'of the deep and profound wickedness and of the anger, grief and sadness and of the compassion for those affected.'

He called on Britons to 'overcome' terrorists. 'The aim of the terrorist is to divide us, to make us turn on one another and turn on the Islamic community,' he said.

'We defeat terrorism when we fail to do that.

'When we persist in going about our normal business sensibly and seriously, again we overcome the efforts of the evil people who are doing this.'

And, he added, 'We have to be determined in our support and compassion for those who have been terribly hurt, who will live with the loss and the injuries for the rest of their lives.'

This was, he said, 'the perfect moment to come together to pray'.

'Real prayer takes us where we are and brings that into the presence of Christ.'

And he revealed that he was praying that God would 'give us wisdom and compassion' in the wake of the attack.'

The Archbishop addressed 3,500 people in Winchester Cathedral at the closing event of the Thy Kingdom Come prayer initiative. It ran between Ascension Day and Pentecost and saw millions joining in around the world.