Pictures show low-flying helicopter seen over Oxford

People may have been startled to spot a helicopter flying low and slow over the west of the city this morning (Wednesday, May 13).

Pictures captured the moment the chopper traversed over the Osney Mead Industrial Estate at about 11.30am, revealing the bright yellow body work of the helicopter.

The helicopter was spotted over the Osney Mead Industrial Estate on Wednesday morning (Image: Ed Burnett / Newsquest)

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The helicopter was spotted over the Osney Mead Industrial Estate on Wednesday morning (Image: Ed Burnett / Newsquest)

The helicopter is understood to be one of the National Grid’s fleet, which are periodically deployed to check for damage or issues to the company’s infrastructure.

This includes pylons, cables, poles and overhead lines, and checking the network for issues such as encroaching vegetation and using thermal cameras to identify electricity ‘hot spots’ or overheating on the lines.

The helicopter does not necessarily mean there is a fault in the grid as helicopters regularly head out for preventative maintenance and inspections of the network.