British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has paid tribute to the "magnificent" Liverpool fans who fought to save the lives of those dying in the crush at Hillsborough.

But he refused to be drawn on whether there was still a legal route open to the families in their continued search for justice.

"I feel that the best thing that we can do is say that the memories of these fans who died will always be in our minds, that the country understands the difficulties that people have gone through and that there is huge public support and affection for the families that have had to suffer so much," Brown said.