THIS week it was announced that the Red Arrows are set to be based in Southend later this year for a number of airshows.

Southend Airport played host to the Red Arrows last summer when it was used as base for the planes featuring in the Eastbourne Airbourne Show.

At the time residents dubbed the activity a "mini airshow" as the sight and sound of the RAF aircraft roaring over the city led to calls for Southend's airshow - which ended in 2012 - to return.

READ MORE >> Wickford teen jailed for life over 'gory' terror plot to attack soldiers and police

Now the famous Red Arrows display team are expected to return to the airport again in August. 

A spokesman for Southend Airport said: "We are happy to confirm that the RAF Red Arrows, RAF Typhoon Display Team and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will be returning to and using Southend Airport this August as the base for their shows at Eastbourne and Folkestone Airshows."

Bosses did note this would be "subject to change, even up to the last minute". 

Nevertheless, many residents couldn't contain their excitement at the proposed return. 

The Southend Air Show itself ran for 27 years until it was revealed it was ending in January 2013, with the final show the year prior.

Day-trippers and south Essex residents would descend on the seafront for the action-packed event which often featured the Red Arrows, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Crunchie wing-walkers.

An effort to revive the event in 2015 was unsuccessful, despite £250,000 being raised and a petition calling for its return gaining 2,000 signatures.

Another campaign to bring the show back was launched in September, but organisers soon hit roadblocks and plans appeared to be dead in the water by November.

However, this week, Kevin Buck, Conservative councillor responsible for highways, transport and parking, hinted that the new council administration could look at bringing back an official airshow. 

He said: “It is excellent news that the Red Arrows have chosen the wonderful Southend to have as their base for the airshows.

“One of the things the new Conservative administration is looking at is how we can reinstate an airshow or some form of it in Southend. But this is still excellent news.

“It would be amazing if we could get something like an airshow back again. We are exploring opportunities to have some sort of an airshow, but what this will be and look like, we don’t know yet.”