Jobs cut at Doncaster Vulcan aircraft charity

The bomber was grounded in October 2015 after engineering backers withdrew support

Almost two thirds of staff working at a Doncaster aviation charity are to lose their jobs after its historic Vulcan aircraft is put in storage.

The Vulcan to the Sky Trust which owns the aircraft said the Cold War bomber faced "an uncertain future".

Employee numbers will be reduced from 22 to eight full-time workers in an attempt to reduce monthly costs by 75%.

The trust said it hopes to build a new visitors' centre at Doncaster Sheffield Robin Hood Airport by the end of 2017.

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Dr Robert Pleming, the trust's chief executive, said cutting staff numbers was "a bitter decision" but that putting the aircraft into storage meant a loss of income from tours and other events.

'Tough decisions'

"This creates a funding challenge because the revenue-earning businesses that are vital for her care must be temporarily suspended," said Dr Pleming.

"We have had to make some very tough decisions."

Vulcan bombers carried Britain's nuclear deterrent throughout the 1960s. They were retired from RAF service in 1993.

The trust's XH558 bomber was the last airworthy example in the world, until it was grounded in October 2015 after engineering backers, including Rolls Royce, withdrew support.