INQUESTS into the deaths of the 30 Britons killed in the Tunisia beach massacre of 2015, including two people with connections to the North-East, have started today, Monday.

The hearings are taking place in court 38 at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, presided over by judge and coroner Nicholas Loraine-Smith.

They are expected to last around seven weeks.

Former Birmingham City football player Denis Thwaites, 70, who was born in Stockton, Teesside, and his wife Elaine, 69, were killed along with Lisa Burbidge, 66, a grandmother-of-four from Whickham, Gateshead.

The inquest has heard evidence that Tunisian law enforcement units deliberately delayed their arrival on the scene of the terrorist attack in Sousse in which 38 tourists were killed.

The hearing into the deaths of 30 Britons in the June 2015 assault by extremist Seifeddine Rezgui Yacoubi heard that a local investigation into the slaughter criticised some police for stalling as they made their way to the five-star Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel.

Rezgui "systematically" gunned down the innocent tourists on the hotel's beach before going into the grounds and the building and killing more, the hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London was told.

CCTV footage played to the packed courtoom, full of relatives of those who died, showed the killer as he approached the hotel with his gun hidden under a parasol. More graphic scenes showed him enter the building and shoot at least one tourist.

Samantha Leek QC, counsel to the inquest, said a report byTunisian Judge Akremi had identified failings by local units which could have ended the slaughter before more police arrived and shot Rezgui dead.

She said the inquest would hear evidence from that report citing an unnamed interior minister as saying some Tunisian security officers nearby had consciously slowed down their arrival.

Ms Leek said: "He said the units that should have intervened in the events deliberately and unjustifiably slowed down to delay their arrival at the hotel.

"They had the ability to put an end to the attack before the police arrived but wasted a considerable amount of time in getting to the hotel."

Footage shown to the inquest included the shooting of 72-year-old grandfather Bruce Wilkinson, from Goole, East Yorkshire. A woman, believed to be a family member, left the room before it was shown.

Another clip was shown of the gunman being dropped off in a white van, before walking away carrying a large item.

In another he was seen walking along the shoreline, past a tent and yellow boats, with people seen running in panic in what is believed to have been the beginning of the attack.

Ms Leek added that on June 26 2015 Rezgui "entered the hotel from the beach, carrying an automatic weapon and a number of explosives".

She added: "He systematically took the lives of 38 people who had travelled to Tunisia for enjoyment, luxury and relaxation."

An armed guard on the beach opened fire on Rezgui, but fell to the ground "seemingly unconscious" after the gunman threw a grenade at him, she added.

This led to a local speedboat driver, named as AI, picking his gun up and attempting to confront Rezgui. However he was unable to work the weapon.

She said Rezgui was thought to have acted alone on the beach - albeit with an accomplice in a van nearby - and AI brandishing the gun may have sparked reports at the time of a second gunman involved in the shooting.

The hearing, scheduled to last for seven weeks, will also examine security in place at the hotel by tour firm TUI and the travel advice issued for Tunisia by the UK Government.

Before Monday's hearing the Government applied for certain elements of the inquests to be kept private over concerns about national security.

An earlier hearing was told that many families feared the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) may have failed in its responsibilities to thousands of British tourists.

The Sousse atrocity came months after a terror attack at the Bardo National Museum in the capital, Tunis, in March 2015 in which 24 people were killed.

Some of the families of those caught in the Sousse attack said they had been assured by tour operator Thomson that it was safe to travel to Tunisia after the Bardo attack.

TUI, the travel company that owns Thomson, is represented at the inquest, as is the Government.

Ms Leek said the inquest would hear evidence "critical of TUI" as well as witnesses on behalf of the firm.

When Ms Leek referred to the possibility of asking witnesses questions that relate to "sensitive security material", Coroner Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith said: "I am very keen to avoid any in-camera hearings."

Detective Superintendent Mark Gower, from the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism unit, took the court through CCTV and 3D maps of the area of the attack. He said several requests were made to Tunisian authorities for material but only images from eight cameras was received.

"We know there were other cameras ... whether they were genuine or dummy cameras we don't know," he said.

The gunman's route - said to be approximately 2.9km from the point he was dropped off to the point he was killed - was digitally reconstructed and shown to the court, with pictures of the victims appearing where they were shot.

Mobile phone footage of part of the attack recorded by a Tunisian witness was shown, and the clip featured loud gunshots, shouting, and people running in panic.

Part of the clip - which captured bodies - was pixellated, and it featured the sounds of more gunfire towards the end.

Another clip, described as "very graphic" by Ms Leek, showed the gunman's body face down on a road with blood on the ground beside him after he was shot.

In all, 30 Britons were killed in the Tunisian beach massacre, along with three Irish citizens, while one British tourist was shot dead in an earlier attack on the country's national museum.

They were:

:: Former Birmingham City football player Denis Thwaites, 70, and his wife Elaine, 69, who lived in Blackpool. They had arrived at the resort two days before the attack. Mr Thwaites, a hospital porter, played for Birmingham City from 1962 to 1972 while his wife worked in hospitality. He was born in Stockton, Teesside

:: Lisa Burbidge, 66, a grandmother-of-four from Whickham, Gateshead. Her family said she doted on her grandchildren and described her as the "most beautiful, amazing, caring and gentle person in our lives"

:: British tourist Sally Adey, 57, from Shropshire, was among 22 people killed as IS terrorists opened fire at the Bardo National Museum in the capital Tunis in March 2015

:: Joel Richards, 19, a student at the University of Worcester and a talented football referee, believed to be the youngest of the British victims in the Sousse attack in June 2015; his uncle Adrian Evans, a manager at Sandwell Council in the West Midlands; and his grandfather Charles "Patrick" Evans, 78

:: Former plumber John Welch, 74, and his partner Eileen Swannack, 73, from Wiltshire. The couple, who had been together for eight years, were staying at the RIU Imperial Marhaba, a hotel they "adored" and stayed in every year of their relationship

:: Christopher Bell, 59, and his 54-year-old wife Sharon, from Leeds

:: John Stollery, 58, a social worker from Nottinghamshire. He was on holiday with his wife Cheryl and son. He worked with children in care at Nottinghamshire County Council, and his wife said "he made a difference and gave his best to others"

:: Retired scientist David Thompson, 80, from Tadley, Hampshire. It is understood he used to work for the Atomic Weapons Establishment and was a keen walker

:: Chris Dyer, 32, an engineer who practised jiu-jitsu, from Watford. He was on holiday with his wife Gina Van Dort when he was shot. She clung on to her dead husband's hand as paramedics tried to get her to safety, according to reports :: Trudy Jones, 51, a divorced single mother-of-four from Gwent, South Wales. Described by her family as "a caring person who put everyone else before herself", she had been holidaying with friends when she was killed

:: Bruce Wilkinson, 72, a grandfather who was said to be a retired power station worker from Goole, East Yorkshire. He was described by his family as a "kind and compassionate man"

:: Carly Lovett, 24, from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. The fashion blogger, who was on holiday with her fiance Liam, reportedly survived the massacre on the beach only to die when a grenade was thrown into her hotel

:: Philip Heathcote, 52, from Felixstowe, Suffolk. His wife Allison, 48, was seriously injured in the attack. The couple had been celebrating their 30th anniversary when they were caught up in the atrocity

:: Engineer Stephen Mellor, 59, from Bodmin in Cornwall. He was killed as he shielded his wife Cheryl on the beach

:: Sue Davey, 43, from Staffordshire, and her partner Scott Chalkley, from Derby. The couple worked for Severn Trent Water, who described them as passionate and hugely caring

:: Claire Windass, 54, from Hull. She was killed while her husband Jim survived the attack

:: Jim and Ann McQuire, aged 66 and 63, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire. Mr McQuire was a captain in the Boys' Brigade, a Christian youth organisation, which said it was "shocked and deeply saddened" by his death

:: Stuart Cullen, 52, from Lowestoft in Suffolk. He is believed to have died instantly. His wife was injured but survived

:: Billy and Lisa Graham, from Bankfoot near Perth in Scotland. The couple were on a trip to the tourist resort of Sousse to celebrate Mrs Graham's 50th birthday

:: Retired printer John Stocker, 74, and his wife Janet, 63, from Morden, Surrey. Their family said the pair "were the happiest, most loving couple"

:: Ray and Angela Fisher, believed to be aged 75 and 69, from Leicester. Their son Adam, from Redhill in Surrey, had not spoken to his parents since they left for their holiday

The Irish victims were:

:: Lorna Carty, a mother-of-two from Robinstown, Co Meath. Bishop of Meath Michael Smith said Mrs Carty was the victim of a "senseless killing"

:: Husband and wife Laurence and Martina Hayes, both in their 50s, from Athlone in Co Westmeath. Mr Hayes was a schools transport inspector who had worked for Bus Eireann for the last 20 years