New home for Red Arrows jet at Coneygarth services

A jet flown by the world-famous Red Arrows aerobatic team has found a new home at a service station in North Yorkshire after being sold at auction.

The Hawk T1 jet was handed to the RAF in 1980 and was flown for 32 years, taking part in hundreds of displays.

The aircraft was later used as a "gate guard" at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire until the station closed last year.

It was bought for £90,000 after a "cheeky bid" from buyer Rob Exelby, whose company owns five service areas.

He said he first heard about the auction courtesy of one of his customers on social media and decided to view it as it was being stored nearby.

"After seeing the beauty of it in person and fully understanding the incredible history of the aircraft... I thought I would have a cheeky bid on the auction, albeit perhaps not really expecting to win it as I imagined a museum or avid collector would snap it up," he said.

The aircraft has been installed at Coneygarth services, near RAF Leeming, which is close to where Mr Exelby grew up.

"I thought it would be great to have something there to honour the [station]," he said.

"It's a shame in a way that this Red Arrow XX306 will no longer call Lincolnshire and RAF Scampton its home but I really hope we can do it the justice it deserves in our beautiful little patch of North Yorkshire," he added.

Mr Exelby said the paintwork had been professionally detailed and protected and some of the decals refreshed.

He joked that it was in "very good condition, considering it's seven years older then me" and said he planned to have the area landscaped so the public could see "this stunning aircraft up close in all its glory".

Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].