Military helicopters have been spotted in skies above Lancashire this week and an RAF spokesperson has revealed why.
Many people have been posting pictures of the Boeing Chinook helicopters to social media and Facebook groups, questioning why the RAF helicopters have been circling.
Iain Smithson took some pictures of two Chinook helicopters from his bungalow in Rossendale; they can be seen flying over the Rossendale Valley.
Other people also reported seeing them in the North West.
One person wrote: “Saw them earlier in the Lakes too.”
“Heard them but didn’t get to see them,” added Ms Slater.
One woman said this explained the loud noise in her house.
She explained: “That's what it was - the house was almost vibrating. I expected a helicopter to come through the window.”
Teresa Bell spotted two of them flying over Asda in Rawtenstall.
Ms Jackson added: “They came really low over Turn in Rossendale - you could 'feel' the noise!”
One person theorised that they were taking part in a Red Arrows display while another questioned if their arrival was linked to the refugee crisis.
However, an RAF spokesperson has provided an explanation as to why the helicopters have been seen across Lancashire and that’s for training purposes.
They said: “RAF Chinooks from RAF Odiham have been operating in the Lancashire area.
“The crews were completing essential operational training events designed to ensure that our crews continue to be ready for global operations.”
If you were hoping to see anymore you might be out of luck as the spokesperson added that they are “already moving on”.
The RAF and in this case, Chinook helicopter crews use a variety of Helicopter Landing Sites (HLS) and training areas around the whole of the UK for training and vary their routes and training locations to maximise training benefit.
A spokesperson said: “Recently our crew have been training in Bristol, South Wales, Birmingham, Wirral, Manchester, Glasgow & Edinburgh as well as the North West.
“Such training areas enable RAF crews to train in varied environments in preparation for operations across the globe.
“Where possible we notify local communities of training activity that may be taking place in areas that are not used to seeing such activity via social media posts, however, we will not offer full details for security purposes.”
It’s not the first time the helicopters have been spotted in the North West, as they took to the skies back in June for a military training operation called Exercise KUKRI DAWN.
Do you have any photos or videos of the Chinook helicopters above Lancashire? Send them to: sarah.mcgee@newsquest.co.uk.
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