A MILITARY aircraft was spotted flying as low as 150ft over Minehead recently as part of “essential military flying training” in the area.

Setting off from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at 4.08pm on Tuesday, July 8, the Airbus A400M Atlas reached the coastal town just after 5pm, before doing a lap of the Bristol Channel and returning to base following a three hour flight.

The RAF aircraft, ZM416 - a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed to replace older aircraft like the C-130 Hercules and the and C-160 - was seen to fly just a few hundred feet above the ground, lowering to between 350ft and 150ft over Minehead according to Flight Tracker.

Town residents excitedly captured images and videos of the plane on their phones as it flew overhead.

A spokesperson from RAF Brize Norton said: “The Atlas A400M aircraft from RAF Brize Norton was conducting routine, essential military flying training within the area.

“Our aircraft will regularly conduct flying training within the local area here at RAF Brize Norton and across the United Kingdom.

“The aircraft are based here at RAF Brize Norton, West Oxfordshire, which is home to the RAF’s Strategic and Tactical Air Transport (AT) and Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) forces.

“Our mixed fleet of aircraft provides rapid global mobility in support of UK overseas operations and exercises, as well as AAR support for fast jet aircraft both on operations and in support of UK Defence.”

In June, Brize Norton RAF base was the scene of a counter-terror arrest after military planes were sprayed with paint during a break-in that was claimed by the recently proscribed organisation Palestine Action.

South East counter terrorism police arrested a 29-year-old woman, and two men, aged 36 and 24, on terror charges. A 41-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.