Clacton Airshow books Red Arrows to celebrate 150th birthday

The Red Arrows display team will take part in the Clacton Airshow in August

The Red Arrows will perform a display to celebrate a seaside town's 150th anniversary.

The RAF aerobatic team will be part of Clacton-on-Sea's airshow at the end of August.

The year 1871 is seen as the Essex resort's founding year as that was when the pier was built.

The Clacton Airshow takes place on 26 and 27 August and also includes displays from a Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane.

"The Red Arrows are flying at very few events this year - with hardly any airshows taking place in this country - so this really is a great opportunity for people to see them take to the skies," said Alex Porter, Tendring District Council's cabinet member for leisure and tourism.

"This is an important year for Clacton... and what better way to celebrate it, and the Clacton Airshow, than with a two-day flypast of the iconic Red Arrows and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight?"

Clacton Pier was first built in 1871, but was much smaller then

The council, which organises the show, said the flypast would be "subject to the latest government guidance on Covid-19 events" and there were "miles of wonderful wide beaches, promenades and grassed areas" along Clacton's coastline from which people could watch the aerial displays.

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"The Clacton 150 Flypast will be a really feel-good event that residents of the town will be able to enjoy," Mr Porter added.

"We know it will also attract visitors to the town, and hopefully give a financial boost to business owners and the whole tourism and hospitality sector as they get back to business post-Covid-19."

The RAF aerobatic display team is based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire

Clacton-on-Sea was developed near the villages of Great and Little Clacton by entrepreneur Peter Bruff, with the "sole intent of it being a seaside resort".

The pier was its first building, with the Royal Hotel following in 1872.

By the 1930s it was considered one of the country's top coastal resorts, and was home to a Butlin's holiday camp from just before World War Two until 1983.