Jet2 plane hits bird shortly after taking off

Jet2 said passengers were transferred to another plane to continue their journey

A Jet2 plane hit a bird and had to land back at Leeds Bradford Airport shortly after it had taken off last night.

The aircraft, which had 135 passengers and a crew of five staff, was due to fly to Palma De Majorca, but never left England.

Flightradar24 shows the aircraft taking off at 16:29 BST, flying above Manchester before turning around and landing back at LBA at 17:48 BST.

A spokesperson for Jet2 apologised but said customers were transferred onto a different plane.

"We can confirm that flight LS227 returned to Leeds Bradford Airport on Saturday 10 August as a precautionary measure," the spokesperson said.

"The aircraft landed safely and customers were transferred onto a replacement aircraft to continue their journey.

"We do of course apologise for the delay to the start of their holidays."

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a "full emergency" while the plane was in-flight.

However, Jet2 denied that an emergency was declared.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service reported: "This aircraft has suffered a bird strike on number 2 engine and is suffering severe vibration - no hazards known on board."

Yorkshire Ambulance Service and West Yorkshire Police were in attendance, have both been contacted by the BBC for further comment.

Leeds Bradford Airport has also been asked for comment.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.