ALL eyes were on the skies as Minehead welcomed some of the armed forces' top daredevil pilots and parachutists on Wednesday.

A giant Mexican wave which spanned the length of the town's promenade welcomed the arrival of the Red Arrows for the second year running.

The elite RAF team, along with the Red Devils, the official parachute display team of the Parachute Regiment and the British Army, were the headline acts in the second Minehead Summer Festival.

Unfortunately, bad weather at the Lincolnshire base of the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight meant a hoped-for fly-past of the iconic Spitfire, Lancaster and Hurricane planes failed to take place as the aircraft could not take off.

And a promised Sea King helicopter also had to give the festival a miss because of operational duties.

But the crowds - estimated at almost 25,000 - had plenty to keep them on their toes.

With an aerobatic display that lasted almost half an hour, the Red Arrows did not disappoint and their antics raised cheers from the watching crowds.

The Red Devils also gave a dramatic display as their parachutes swirled from the skies to a soft landing on the beach.

The festival was organised by Butlins, with support from the Minehead Events Group (MEG) and the holiday giant's Minehead resort director Julian Highfield said it had been even more successful than the inaugural event.

"We were delighted to see so many people enjoying a great day out," he said.

"The atmosphere was fantastic and the feedback has been really pleasing.

"Events like this show what can be achieved through effective partnership working and our thanks go to all members of the MEG for their support."

Marcus Kravis, Minehead's deputy mayor and a member of the MEG, said it had been great to see the town packed with people having a good time and enjoying what Minehead had to offer.

"As the northern gateway to Exmoor with classic coastal charm we have a lot to offer visitors and events like this are a superb way to showcase this."

The success of the festival, which also featured stalls and street entertainment, was also praised by Minehead Chamber of Trade chairman Graham Sizer.

"The festival was a brilliant boost to businesses in the town," he said.

"The chamber, as a member of MEG, has worked hard to help support the event and seeing the crowds on the day, we are delighted at the result."

Mr Sizer said that closer links with other service providers had allowed the chamber and its members to add value to the day out.

And the additional stalls led to a colourful, carnival experience.

Mr Sizer said he wanted to thank Butlins for arranging the displays and also local businessman Charlie Lynch for allowing use of his field for a 'park and walk' facility.

The efforts of all the partners involved in the festival had made it a triumph for Minehead, said Mr Sizer.

The event led to delays for traffic using the A39, with snarl-ups and tailbacks throughout the day.

A two-vehicle collision at the Dragon's Cross junction near Bilbrook just before 5pm - in which no one was injured - caused a partial blockage of the road for just over an hour.