‘Bolt of Lightning’ sculpture honours WWII airbase

A new memorial honouring military and civilian personnel at a World War Two airbase has been unveiled.

The Bolt of Lightning sculpture depicts a US Lockheed P-38F Lightning fighter aircraft, which was used during the Second World War.

Installed next to the junction of the M62 in Burtonwood, Warrington, the artwork shows the plane rising to the sky after a dive, leaving trails behind it.

The sculpture was designed by Peter Naylor and is a memorial to those who worked at the RAF Burtonwood airbase.

It was the largest military airbase in the UK during the conflict and also went on to be used by the US Air Force.

The sculpture, which is 22.5m (73.8 ft) high, will be lit by searchlights at night.