A day after the announcement that the Ministry of Defence is to sell RAF Scampton, aviation experts have been speaking about the importance of the station near Lincoln.

The base, which is the home of the RAF aerobatics team the Red Arrows, and was home to the famous Dambusters during World War Two.

The Ministry of Defence revealed yesterday the station is to be sold as part of cost-saving measures.

The MoD said it would try and keep the history of the site alive.

Nearly £600,000 is set to be spent on upgrading North East Lincolnshire Council's IT equipment in an effort to secure it from cyber attacks.

Image source, PA

The authority is looking to bring its current computer operating systems up to date, in order to be in line with the latest security software.

This means that all council computers must use Microsoft Windows 10 and Office to be fully compliant.

Members of the authority's executive will be asked to approve a £589,000 investment in the software on 1 August.

Health officials are expected to decide later whether to replace the current nurse-led minor injuries unit at Grantham Hospital with an out-of-hours GP service.

The South West Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group will decide on the future of the minor injuries unit after it was put in doubt recently due to lack of use.

It's been recommended that the current nurse-led unit at the hospital should be replaced with the out-of-hours GP service.

Health managers say they can no longer keep the nurse-led service because it is not financially viable.

A daredevil 83-year old woman from Yorkshire is expected to jump out of a plane this morning...all in the name of charity.

Dorothy Hinchcliffe, from West Yorkshire, has been trying new activities such as paragliding and is due to skydive today in a bid to raise money for charity.

Mrs Hinchliffe says that the jump, which will take place over Scunthorpe, shouldn't just be for herself but also for a good cause.

Fruit farms in Lincolnshire have been reaping the benefits of hot weather.

At Syston Park, near Grantham, more people have been choosing to pick their own strawberries and raspberries than in previous years, staff there say.

It's now moving into the season to pick fruit like lingon berries and blackberries.

Alex Rhodes
BBC Local Live, Lincolnshire

Here's what we've learned today about the future of RAF Scampton:

• The MoD has confirmed that it is planning to close and sell RAF Scampton
• The station is home to the Red Arrows, the No 1 Air Control Centre and the Mobile Meteorological Unit
• It was also home to 617 Squadron as they prepared for the Dambusters mission in World War Two
• In total 600 people work there
• No buyer or bidder has been announced, there is some suggestion that housing will be one element of any future development
• The MoD hasn't said where the Red Arrows will move to, but the Civil Aviation Authority has begun looking at new airspace
• The MP for the area, Sir Edward Leigh, says the RAF 'can't just walk away' from Scampton and must preserve the history of the station.

BBC Weather

Tonight is going to be dry with clear periods and a few patches of cloud.

A rather warm night again, although not as warm as last night.

The news the RAF base is to be sold has saddened many in the "Big Sky" county.

The MoD has confirmed today it is to close and sell RAF Scampton.

The station has been home to the Red Arrows for the last 20 years.

They've wowed people across the globe and for people in Lincolnshire they are regularly seen practicing in the sky.

Here's some archive we've dug out of them performing back in 1986 at the Farnborough Air Show:

Bradford City striker Shay McCartan joins League Two club Lincoln City on a season-long loan.

The Red Arrows haven't commented about the plans to close RAF Scampton.

The pilots themselves have made no mention of it on social media either.

Not that they've gone to ground, Red 3 Mike Ling has thrown his hat in the ring in response to a BBC article about the hottest uniforms to wear in a heatwave, external:

Police are looking for a witness and a child's rucksack as they continue to investigate the death of 51-year-old Raymond Ward in Scunthorpe.

Image source, Humberside Police

He was found dead in a building on Cliff Gardens in Scunthorpe on the 9 July.

Police want to speak to a woman with dark shoulder length hair, wearing black trousers, a black top, white footwear, a grey cardigan and a dark-coloured handbag.

She was walking along Oswald Road, towards Scunthorpe town centre, at about 09:15 on 9 July.

Police are also looking for a distinctive orange-coloured child’s rucksack with yellow and blue flowers on it, which they believe has been dumped or hidden somewhere in Scunthorpe.

24-year-old Dion Hendry, of no fixed abode, has been charged with murder in connection with Mr Ward's death.

He has already appeared in court and has been remanded in custody.

BBC Look North
East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Peter Levy will be presenting Look North live from the gates of RAF Scampton this evening to bring you the very latest on the plans to close it down and sell it off.

Image source, Google

The MP for Gainsborough, Sir Edward Leigh, says that he's not happy about the closure of RAF Scampton and efforts need to be made to preserve the heritage of the site.

RAF Scampton was the headquarters of 617 Squadron during the World War Two.

They would go on to perform one of the most famous raids of the conflict, Operation Chastise - better known as the Dambusters raid.

Sir Edward Leigh says the history needs to be preserved.

People have begun to call for a reprieve for RAF Scampton.

The Ministry of Defence announced the station would be closed and sold today.

A Facebook group , externalcalling for the home of the Red Arrows to be saved has been established and change.org petition, external have been established.

Image source, Facebook

A petition has also been set up on the official government website, external and is pending approval.

RAF Scampton is the latest air station to face closure as part of the Ministry of Defence's A Better Defence Estate strategy.

The paper, originally published in November 2016, stated in many areas the MoD uses its property efficiently, but "overall it is still too big, too expensive, with too many sites in the wrong locations".

Image source, MOD

The report said the MoD would dispose of 56 sites by 2040.

The government said it would deliver better value for money and release enough land to build 55,000 homes.

Though they weren't mentioned in the original paper as being under threat, it appears the MoD has now decided to dispose of both Scampton and Linton on Ouse in North Yorkshire.

An engineer films from a plane on the trip from Farnborough to RAF Scampton near Lincoln.

The closure and sale of RAF Scampton, near Lincoln, "cannot be allowed to happen", according to the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust says th

The trust was set up to preserve Britain's airfields and their history and erect memorials to past servicemen.

In a post on Twitter, the charity promises to oppose the closure which was announced earlier by the MoD:

The leader of West Lindsey District Council says the authority is "disappointed" at the planned sale of RAF Scampton, near Lincoln, which was announced earlier by the MoD.

Image source, Google

In a statement on behalf of councillors, Jeff Summers says the RAF has a "rich heritage" in Lincolnshire and the sell-off will be "upsetting to many people".

"However, West Lindsey District Council is committed to working closely with the MoD to secure a sustainable future for the transition from RAF Scampton to another community of our district," he adds.

"This process will be detailed and protracted and we must ensure we do complete this transition sensitively, creating a regulated community where all would choose to live.”

The statement suggests that new housing will be at least one element of the future of the site.

No buyer or bidder has yet been announced.

Here's a quick summary of what we know so far about the sell-off of RAF Scampton, near Lincoln, which was announced earlier today:

• The MoD confirmed RAF Scampton was to be sold after a report emerged in The Times suggesting it would be the latest casualty in cost-cutting measures
• The station is home to the Red Arrows, the No 1 Air Control Centre and the Mobile Meteorological Unit. In total 600 people work there
• It was also the headquarters of the famous 617 "Dambusters" Squadron during World War Two
• A buyer has not been announced as yet, but the MoD has said it's looking at ways of keeping the station's history alive
• The Civil Aviation Authority is looking at finding airspace for the Reds, suggesting they won't continue to practice over Scampton as they did when based at RAF Cranwell