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Thursday, Mar 05, 2026

Helicopter pilot flew 80 miles for roast beef sandwich in lockdown

Helicopter pilot flew 80 miles for roast beef sandwich in lockdown

A helicopter pilot is said to have flown 80 miles for a sandwich in a journey branded a ‘flagrant abuse’ of lockdown rules.

The unnamed pilot was filmed landing to collect the ‘roast beef in caramelised onion gravy barm’ from Chipping Farm Shop in Chipping, a village in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire.

A resident is thought to have monitored the helicopter from City Airport in Salford, Greater Manchester, to the shop using a flight-tracking website, the Blackpool Gazette reported.

The shop posted footage on Instagram showing a member of staff handing over a green plastic bag to the pilot, before turning around and giving a ‘thumbs up’ to the camera.

It added the caption: ‘When your customers are literally flying in to collect their favourite “Roast Beef in Caramelised Onion Gravy Barms”.’

But the video has sparked fury and is now being investigated by police.

Some Instagram users criticised the shop for its conduct, with one commenting: ‘Not something to brag about during a pandemic’.

One NHS worker, who said he is living in a caravan on a driveway to protect his nan during the coronavirus crisis, said he was ‘disgusted’.



And another slammed the pilot for ‘blatant rule breaking combined with complete lack of sensitivity.’


But others hailed the pilot a ‘legend’ and insisted they had done nothing wrong – accusing critics of being ‘jealous’.

One said: ‘So I can travel to McDonald’s drive through but I can’t take my helicopter out to collect food, seems a little odd to me.

Another said: ‘Fully support the shop and the pilot – some people love to moan.’

A local councillor who represents Chipping described the trip as ‘a flagrant abuse of the restrictions on travel under the current lockdown rules,’ the BBC reported.

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