Here is our first story from Owen Gibson and David Conn who now have the report in front of them:

A forensic independent review has concluded that the main cause of the Hillsborough disaster that caused the deaths of 96 men, women and children was a "failure in police control" but has also revealed "multiple failures" within other organisations that compromised crowd safety.

More than 23 years after the disaster claimed 96 lives and following a two year review of around 450,000 unrestricted documents relating to the disaster, the Hillsborough Independent Panel has underlined the "clear operational failure" that led to the disaster and the attempts by South Yorkshire Police and the ambulance service to cover up their shortcomings.

The fact that the ambulance service also altered statements from staff is revealed for the first time. The evidence shows "conclusively" that Liverpool fans "neither caused nor contributed to the deaths" and shows the extent to which attempts, endorsed by the SYP chief constable Peter Wright, were made to smear them.

Documents released to the panel show how high ranking police sources, the South Yorkshire Police Federation and the Tory MP Irvine Patnick were responsible for feeding the stories to White's News Agency in Yorkshire.

They led to the infamous Sun headline "The Truth" that led to a

longstanding boycott of the paper in Liverpool. "The Police Federation, supported informally by the SYP chief constable,

sought to develop and publicise a version of events derived in police

officers' allegations of drunkenness, ticketless fans and violence. This extended beyond the media to Parliament," said the Panel.

"From the mass of documents, television and CCTV coverage disclosed to the Panel there is no evidence to support these allegations other than a few isolated examples of aggressive or verbally abusive behaviour clearly reflecting frustration and desperation. The vast majority of fans on the pitch assisted in rescuing and evacuating the dead and injured."

Over 23 years after 96 men, women and children died at the Leppings Lane end of the ground on 15 April 1989, the families of those who died gave the Panel a standing ovation in Liverpool Cathedral as it delivered its findings.

"For nearly a quarter of a century the families of the 96 and the survivors of Hillsborough have nursed an open wound waiting for answers to unresolved questions. It has been a frustrating and painful experience adding to their grief. In spite of all the investigations they have sensed that their search for truth and justice has been thwarted and that no one has been held accountable," said the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, who chaired the Panel.

"The documents disclosed to and analysed by the Panel show that the tragedy should never have happened. There were clear operational failures in response to the disaster and in its aftermath there were strenuous attempts to deflect the blame onto the fans. The Panel's detailed report shows how vulnerable victims, survivors and their families are when transparency and accountability are compromised."