RESIDENTS have reported seeing a huge military plane flying at low altitude in the skies above this morning, Friday.

The Airbus A400M was visible and could be heard circling the town and surrounding areas from around 10.30am.

The Royal Air Force aircraft, which uses four propeller engines, took off from RAF Brize Norton near Oxford at around 8am, according to FlightRadar24.

It then flew south west towards Cornwall before crossing Wales towards the north west of England.

Since then, the plane has been circling the St Helens, Warrington, Widnes and Runcorn areas at around 2,000ft.

Such planes flying low in the area are a semi-regular occurrence.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence previously confirmed: “Royal Air Force A400M aircraft from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire complete routine training around the Liverpool area.

“The RAF use a variety of locations around the UK for training, as they provide complex airspace and differing challenges for our pilots to ensure we remain ready and able to deploy on global operations.”