Nottinghamshire villagers' concern over Red Arrows move
MODVillagers in Nottinghamshire say their quality of life could be affected after plans for the Red Arrows to use a nearby base were revealed.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said its site at Syerston, near Newark, had been earmarked as a "potentially suitable" replacement for RAF Scampton.
Closed last year, the Lincolnshire base could be sold early this year.
Traffic and noise complaints have been highlighted by residents near Syerston as causes for concern.
The Red Arrows had been using RAF Scampton - previously home of 617 Squadron known as the Dambusters squadron - as their base since 2000, and currently are situated at nearby RAF Waddington.
A temporary airspace change has been granted around Syerston until 17 April, with jets set to take off from 9 January.
The MoD said it is "exploring alternative airspaces in Lincolnshire to enable the Red Arrows to continue to train", with the airspace change "required to test the site and assess what the impact would be on local aviation and ground stakeholders".
Pete Moyes, who lives near the Syerston airfield, said an influx of Red Arrows fans would badly affect residents, with previous displays leaving local roads "completely chock-a-block".
"We already experience a reasonable number of people coming to watch the gliding school that operates here, but the Red Arrows is a completely different issue altogether," he told BBC Radio Nottingham.
"The training that they're proposing to do is three sessions a day, throughout the whole day, so what we're anticipating is that people will be camped out here all day long.
"There are no toilets, no litter bins, and no facilities to accommodate [a] number of people.
"It's not a case of us making this up and thinking this is the worst case scenario; this is actually happening here and now."
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