A light aircraft pilot accused of drifting into a no-fly zone during Sussex's largest free air show will stand trial in July.

Stuart Ball has denied a charge of flying below 5,000ft above sea level within a restricted area at Eastbourne.

The charge, which will be dealt with at a magistrates' court, carries a maximum penalty of £2,500.

The offence is alleged to have taken place during the hugely popular four-day Airbourne air show in Eastbourne on August 18 last year.

Ball, of Burton Road, Overseal, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, was piloting a microlight plane when he allegedly travelled into restricted airspace.

The trial will begin at Eastbourne Magistrates Court on July 17.

Last month, The Argus told how, in another incident, pilot Alexander Stevenson's tiny Pridal Pulsar aircraft was spotted seconds before aerobatic pilots prepared to roar across the off-shore display area.

The craft was spotted flying between 1,000ft and 2,000ft through the zone, closed to air traffic by the Civil Aviation Authority.

The controller warned the pilot of an RAF jet, who flew his plane alongside Stevenson's aircraft and rocked his wings to indicate he should leave the zone.

Bank clerk Stevenson, of St Anthony's Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, admitted flying below 5,000ft in a restricted area.

He was fined £250 and ordered to pay £350 costs at Eastbourne Magistrates' Court.

The Airbourne air show is Eastbourne's most popular and lucrative tourist event, attracting thousands of people over four days every summer.

Last August, more than 650,000 people flocked to the tenth spectacular, ploughing £3 million into the resort's economy.

Borough council bosses are hoping to convince British Airways to display Concorde at this summer's show before it retires from the skies in the autumn.