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The hot weather has melted the flight line at a key RAF base in Lincolnshire, impacting flying training for pilots, Sky News understands.

An RAF spokesperson, however, insisted that flying training had not been affected.

An informed source told Sky News that officials at RAF Cranwell had been "dragging tar around" on their boots and even on the wheels of the Phenom and Prefect training aircraft since the start of the summer as the tarmac on the ground softened in the sunshine.

The situation at the flight line - the area where aircraft are serviced, parked and prepared for use - became so grave in the heat on Monday that flights were halted, according to the source.

The flight line is also where aviators board their aircraft and taxi towards the runway.

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