A PLANE sparked a range of dramatic theories when it was spotted circling over parts of the region yesterday morning.

School caretaker Geoff Richardson was one of many readers who telephoned The Northern Echo to report a sighting of the "jumbo" circling over Wolsingham, in County Durham, for three hours.

Said Geoff: "It was going around in huge circles. We've never had anything like that before."

Theories about its manoeuvres ranged from burning off fuel to the plane being hijacked.

But speculation was quashed when a spokeswoman for Newcastle Airport confirmed the circling plane was an Army Awacs surveillance aircraft taking part in a training flight.