TWO impressive and historic planes were spotted flying over parts of St Helens.
Residents enjoying the sunny and warm weather on Saturday caught a glimpse of a Lancaster Bomber and a Spitfire in the sky in Haydock and Newton-le-Willows.
They were visible as they embarked on a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Flown regularly by RAF pilots, the mission aims to ‘maintain the priceless artefacts of our national heritage to commemorate those fallen in the service of this country.
First to be spotted was the Avro Lancaster ‘heavy bomber’ which played a vital role during the Second World War.
According to the RAF, it was the most famous and successful heavy bomber of the conflict, with only two airworthy Lancasters left in the world.
The plane took off from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire at around 1pm and arrived at its end destination of Blackpool just before 4pm.
On its journey, the Lancaster entered Cheshire airspace at around 2.55pm, flying over Alderley Edge and Knutsford at around 1,000ft.
It then flew over Lymm and Warrington around 2pm, and then over Newton-le-Willows and Haydock on its flight northbound.
The other iconic airplane was the treasured Spitfire Mk IIA, which was crucial in defeating Luftwaffe air attacks during the Battle of Britain in 1940.
The plane took flight from RAF Coningsby just before 2.30pm, heading towards the north west region before banking north at 3pm over Holmes Chapel.
It then flew over Knutsford at around 1,700ft, then on over Lymm, Warrington, Newton-le-Willows and Haydock at around 3.05pm.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here