Police investigating helicopter incident after pilot flew from Manchester to Chipping for a roast beef barm

A helicopter pilot's 80-mile round trip to collect a sandwich in Ribble Valley has sparked a police investigation.

It comes after a video was posted online earlier this week showing a helicopter landing near Chipping Farm Shop in Chipping to pick up a roast beef in caramelised onion gravy sandwich.

A nearby resident is said to have monitored the helicopter from City Airport in Salford to the shop using a flight tracking website.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed that the force is looking into what happened. The BBC also reports that Ribble Valley Borough Council have also launched an investigation into the incident.

A still from the video posted on Instagram by  Chipping Farm Shopplaceholder image
A still from the video posted on Instagram by Chipping Farm Shop

The video was posted to Instagram by the Garstang Road shop and it shows a member of staff appearing to handover the sandwich to the helicopter pilot.

The video was captioned: "When your customers are literally flying in to collect their favourite 'Roast Beef in Caramelised Onion Gravy Barms'.

Simon Hore, who represents Chipping on Ribble Valley Borough Council, told the BBC that the helicopter trip 'does seem to be a flagrant abuse of the restrictions on travel under the current lockdown rules'.

Lancashire Constabulary said that any complaints received would be passed onto Greater Manchester Police.

News you can trust since 1873
Follow us
© 2026 Iconic Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice