Cleethorpes Armed Forces weekend returns after two year absence

Highlights of the weekend include a flypast by the Red Arrows

The Armed Forces weekend is to return to Cleethorpes following a two-year absence due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Highlights include flypasts by the Red Arrows, RAF Typhoon fighters and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

The three-day event starts on Friday with the Cleethorpes Carnival parading through the streets.

Organisers are warning of road closures in the town and cancellations to rail services as members of the RMT union take strike action on Saturday.

The event takes place around the sea front and will include displays by military units as well as stalls and entertainment.

North East Lincolnshire Council's armed forces champion Alex Baxter said the event would be one of the largest along the whole east coast.

"We're renowned for putting on a great show in North East Lincolnshire at Cleethorpes and people always turn out to show support for the armed forces and their families," he said.

"And this year, we're benefiting from the fact that the national event is being held just up the coast in Scarborough, which means that flying activity will be pretty special and will have shades of 2016, when we had the national event here."

Organisers said the core area of the Armed Forces weekend, from the library to Brighton Street, and all access on to Alexandra Road and High Cliff Road, will be closed to traffic from Friday at 06:00 BST through to Sunday night.

That closure will be expanded for Friday and Saturday to include the stretch from the library to Sea Road.

The event starts at 18:00 BST on Friday and the flypasts will take place on Saturday.