Lancaster bomber sculpture to be unveiled

A life-size sculpture of a Lancaster bomber is to be installed next to the A46 this weekend.

The steel structure, which honours World War Two RAF crews, was revealed to the public last September.

It will be transported to its final position in Norton Disney, a village between Newark and Lincoln, on Saturday. Lincolnshire Police warned motorists to expect some disruption.

Charlie White, chair of the Bomber County Gateway Trust, which is leading the project, said: "It's been a long time coming, but this weekend it will come to fruition."

Mr White said the sculpture would be completed on Sunday.

Police will escort a vehicle carrying the sculpture's wings from Timmins Engineering in Market Rasen, to Bomber County Gateway, Norton Disney, on Saturday. It will set off at 09:00 BST.

The wings are each 14.5m (47.6ft) in length, 5.96m (19.6ft) in width, 4.8m (15.7ft) in height.

Lincolnshire Police said the vehicle would move slowly, with speed dependant on conditions.

"We appreciate it can be frustrating being delayed on the road and we thank you for your patience," the force added.

Mr White said assembling the structure would be "quite challenging", requiring two cranes to lift it. It then has to be tilted to create a flight-like angle.

"It's nearly eight years ago since we first had the idea of doing this iconic landmark," he said.

The project launched on 1 April 2018 - the RAF's centenary.

"In the future we will open the site up so people can walk underneath it," said Mr White, adding that it would help educate people about "what the RAF did for our county".

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