Many Leek residents had the joy of seeing one of Britain's most iconic pieces of engineering flying over the town at the weekend.

A Lancaster bomber could be spotted in the skies above Leek on Saturday afternoon.

The Lancaster bomber, which was first rolled out in 1942, was used extensively by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War and has since become an icon of the British war effort.

But why was a Lancaster spotted over Leek on Saturday?

The flyover was organised by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF).

There have been many reports that the flight was taken in order to commemorate the anniversary of the Dambusters raids - an RAF attack on German dams that was carried out on 16th - 17th May 1943.

However, the BBMF said that this was not the case.

A spokesperson said that the Lancaster was flying for a commemorative event, but that this was not related to the Dambusters.

They said: "This weekend, like most weekends during the summer flying season, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) Lancaster will be taking part in fly pasts at a number of locations. These flights are conducted at events where organisers have applied and fly pasts have been officially approved. Applications are received many months in advance, usually by October of the previous year.

"BBMF and its personnel are acutely aware of the significance of the 'Dambusters' operation in 1943, and the part played by the extremely courageous aircrew that took part.

"BBMF has proudly taken part in commemorative events to mark the event, and will do so again in the future, but no fly pasts are planned for this weekend to commemorate the operation. The aircraft is flying over a commemorative event in Derbyshire, but it is entirely unrelated to the Dams operation.

"Every time we take to the skies, we remember everyone lost in RAF operations, in the two world wars and in other conflicts, we would dearly love to actively commemorate every specific occasion, but sadly we are not able to. We do hope that wherever you see the Lancaster flying you are able to join us in our act of remembrance."

Did you spot the Lancaster in the skies at the weekend? Feel free to let us know in the comments on social media!