A DRONE company proved pigs really can fly in a recent promotion with a betting company - and the feat was witnessed by hundreds of onlookers and more than 100,000 people online.

DroneCam Solutions teamed up with Marathon Bet, which is offering enhanced odds on Brighton, Newcastle and Huddersfield winning the Premier League, promoting that if pigs can fly, then anything is possible.

David Bridgen, owner of the Darlington- based drone firm, said: “I was approached by an advertising agency who wanted to see if it was possible to make pigs fly with the help of drones.

“I knew straight away it was something I wanted to be a part of as nothing like this has ever been done with drones in the UK before, so I was very keen to get on board and help make it happen.”

It took five weeks for the design and prototype to be made and tested.

Mr Bridgen said: “It took some effort to find a company that would be able to make model pigs to attach to drones, a few companies said it wasn’t possible, this just spurred us on even more to prove them wrong.”

He then got his team of CAAcertified drone operators together and spent the day on Brighton beach with football pundits Alan Smith and former Middlesbrough FC midfielder Andy Townsend, who were part of the advert.

Mr Smith questioned Mr Townsend on what he thought Brighton’s chances were of winning the league, who upon replying ‘I think you might get better odds on seeing pigs fly’, looked on as footage showed pigs overhead by the famous Brighton Pier.

Mr Bridgen said: “After the planning and preparation that went into the promotion, it was fantastic to see the pigs in the air.

“The passing public were showing a range of emotions from puzzlement, laughter and shock.

“It was brilliant to see, even though I, the advertising agency and Marathon Bet had seen the pigs being created, we couldn’t quite believe it ourselves either.

“It was the first promotion of its kind in the UK and all parties were happy with the results.”

DroneCam Solutions uses a team of trained, qualified drone operators certified by the Civil Aviation Authority, who are known for carrying out aerial surveys and inspections, and creating promotional videos and images for property sales, commercial premises, events and weddings.