Torbay Airshow: Hundreds of thousands attend event

The English Riviera Airshow attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year

The English Riviera Airshow is taking place in Torbay, with hundreds of thousands of people travelling to the bay for the two-day event.

The coastal event attracted large crowds on its first day on Saturday, with about 198,000 people attending.

The Red Arrows were one of the headline acts at the show, with their signature red, white and blue smoke trails.

Torbay Council leader David Thomas said the event cost £250,000 to put on and would boost local businesses.

The Red Arrows were one of the headline acts at the airshow

He said: "We've done the airshow for a number of years now, and so with any event we're able to move forward.

"It's a big event, £250,000, but it's more police required, and getting the parking right, and learning from our mistakes and actually putting on an event that people can really enjoy here."

Mayor of Torbay Mark Spacagna said the event was "the best thing for Torbay".

The event costs the council £250,000 to put on

Mr Spacagna said: "It's brilliant, it brings people together, it brings people from outside of Torbay into Torbay, which boosts the economy, and it's just a fantastic time for people to see what goes on."

Torbay's street pastors were also among the crowds at the airshow to help keep spectators safe.

Bill Becher was one of those out overnight and said they had a busy night, but everyone had been "very well behaved".

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