THE RAF Red Arrows will no longer be based at Southend Airport this weekend for an Essex airshow display.

On Saturday, plane spotters pitched up at the perimeter fence to get snaps of the famous red jets and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) aircraft Spitfire, Lancaster and Hurricane, alongside the Typhoon team.

The airport transformed into a base for the planes as they take part in the Eastbourne Airshow on August 17 to 20, Folkestone Airshow, also on August 20. 

The airport was expected to provide a base for the planes for the Clacton Airshow this weekend.

However, according to the Red Arrows schedule on MilitaryAirshows.co.uk, they will now be based at RAF Marham, in Norfolk, for the two days.

A RAF spokesman said: “We use a variety of civilian airfields across the UK when operating at airshows.

“If we do need to base somewhere, selection will depend on a variety of factors, including location, availability, space, number of other movements at the airfield and what we are doing or where we are going both pre and post the event.”

The BBMF Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft will be based at Southend for the Clacton airshow.