THESE pictures show the famous Goodyear Blimp flying high above the city, as it returns to the UK for the first time in 10 years.

For the first time in over 10 years, the blimp returned to the UK as it flew over Sussex on its journey from Calais.

It is known throughout the world for providing aerial coverage of the most-watched events in sports and entertainment, ranging from FA Cup Finals at Wembley to Live Aid.

The blimp's appearance on a cloudless Thursday afternoon gave residents the chance to snap the aircraft as it made its way along the coast.

Arriving in Hastings, the airship then made its way west and towards Eastbourne, where dozens of people shared pictures of it.

Brighton also provided an opportunity for stunning photographs, as the blimp soared over some of the city's biggest attractions.

Pictures show the blimp over Brighton Racecourse, the i360 and the Palace Pier before it made its way to Worthing.

From there, it flew to Portsmouth and Southampton, before heading inland over Winchester, Horsham, Royal Tunbridge Wells and finally Dover.

One passerby told The Argus: "I was on the bus and I spotted the airship, I couldn’t believe it, I think there are only 20 of these still working on the world.

“You’d expect to see some big ships by the port, but not a massive airship. It’s really cool to see.”

The Goodyear Blimp is 82 yards long (246 feet) - the equivalent of nearly 17 of London’s famous black cabs.

The airship’s envelope is packed with 297,527 cubic feet of helium and its capacity could hold the equivalent of 207 million golf balls or 3.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools.