A FLOTILLA is set to pay tribute to a lighthouse ahead of its planned decommissioning.

The event, planned for March 5, invites all boat owners to join the event to say goodbye to the Royal Sovereign Lighthouse off the coast of Eastbourne.

Drones will also be flying around the landmark, with photo opportunities of the lighthouse before it is demolished.

Sailors and their vessels will gather by the lighthouse at 1pm for the send-off, before later heading back to shore for drinks.

The flotilla is being organised by Team Well Plumbed and the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club.

The club is also looking into the possibility of arranging a boat charter for the event, after a number of people who do not own boats expressed interest in joining the flotilla.

A date for the demolition of the lighthouse is yet to be announced.

The lighthouse has been a feature of the Eastbourne coast for over 50 years, having replaced a lightship that marked the Royal Sovereign Shoal since 1875.

However, due to the lighthouse's structural condition, Trinity House - the official authority for lighthouses in England and Wales - announced it would be decommissioned and then removed.

The lighthouse at Beachy Head is set to be upgraded in its absence.

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