READERS have explained why a helicopter has been flying over York for much of today, sparking complaints about the noise from some residents.

The helicopter tracked regularly across the city both this morning and through the afternoon, initially sparking speculation that it might be involved in a police search, for example for a missing person.

But emergency services said they had no idea what the helicopter was doing, but it wasn't assisting them.

North Yorkshire Police said the helicopter was not involved in police work, with a member of staff saying that even an off duty officer had rung in to ask whether it was involved in a police operation.

They suggested the craft might instead be involved in commercial filming of the city.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service said it had no knowledge of the helicopter, and it was not involved in any search in York.

One possibility appeared to be that Northern Powergrid had once again taken to the sky above York to patrol and protect its power network.

The company, which powers everyday life for eight million people, was seen over York on Thursday, carrying out its annual programme of helicopter patrols to inspect thousands of kilometres of its power lines and assets.

But Nigel Lindley, of Clifton, dismissed any possibility of the firm doing it again today, saying he felt it was more likely to have been involved in filming work.

He said it had caused great annoyance in his neighbourhood, with a local WhatsApp group 'on fire', and the helicopter had been so noisy that it had twice interrupted him while he was trying to listen to a play on the radio in his garden.

He said he had tried ringing organisations such as the Civil Aviation Authority but had gone straight through to an answerphone.

Other readers suggested the helicopter had been involved in sightseeing trips over York from Elvington, saying Flightradar24, a global flight tracking service, had shown the flightpath of such trips.

"What with it being Father's Day tomorrow, it's not a stretch to imagine that lots of dads have been given "helicopter experiences" as a gift," said one.

"They've been going all day long and the noise is now officially b***** annoying!"

Another said: "The helicopter was a private sightseeing service where people could book a quick tour of the city."

Avril Moore said her husband Graham, who took the photos seen here of the helicopter and also of a light aircraft also seen flying over York, was not at all pleased with the intrusive noises a

*Did you organise the helicopter flights over York today, and can you say whether this was a one-off or will be happening again this summer? Email mike.laycock@thepress.co.uk.