NEW rules brought in following the horrific Shoreham air show crash on Saturday which killed 11 people will not affect any future Whitehaven events.

Vintage jets are no longer allowed to perform aerobatics over land at air shows following the tragedy says regulators the Civil Aviation Authority, limiting them to flypasts, after a Hawker Hunter crashed into traffic on the A27 in West Sussex.

But organisers of Whitehaven’s air displays say they only fly over sea and operate to gold standard plus.

Gerard Richardson, Whitehaven Festival chief, said half a mile is the closest any aircraft come to the town’s pier edge during displays.

“And the crowd is a further 300metres away from that point so people are almost 3/4mile away from aircraft,” he said. “That wasn’t a requirement put on us, I decided that a long time ago. I have always made sure we were ultra safe. In fact I have always been eight times safer than we need to be.”

Gerard, who has a background in air engineering, added: “The closest the Red Arrows come to the crowds is 900metres away.”

The festival team also has to apply for a special ‘notice to airmen’ which closes the airspace over the town during a display and they also put a notice out to fishermen/sailors.