Royal Marines practise beach raiding drills as holidaymakers' game of football goes on

Stunned holidaymakers looked on as members of 47 Commando (Raiding Group) Royal Marines conducted beach landing training in Cornwall, while for others nothing was going to interrupt their game of football.

Using modern-day landing craft in scenes reminiscent of the events of D-Day, the Marines were seen practising their raiding drills at Tregantle Fort in Torpoint.

The training exercise was based on a contemporary battlefield scenario and comes just a few weeks before the unit will land on Gold Beach in Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

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The members of the Raiding Group are the Royal Navy's experts in amphibious warfare, providing landing craft capabilities, amphibious assault and maritime training.

The news comes as plans for 181 British paras to jump into Normandy as part of the 80th anniversary D-Day commemorations will go ahead, with two A400M Atlas transport aircraft now being made available.

It had earlier been feared that the plans might have to be scaled back due to a lack of available RAF transport aircraft, but Defence Minister James Cartlidge told the Commons two A400s would be taking part.