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A public referendum has failed to save the historic Berlin Tempelhof airport from closure.

The base is set to be closed, along with Berlin's Tegel airport, to make way for the new €3bn (£2.36bn) Brandenburg airport.

A referendum was held to try to secure the future of the airport, but not enough people voted to make the ballot valid, meaning that the local government is under no obligation to recognise the vote.

Tempelhof has historical significance as it was the site of the Berlin Airlift in the late 1940s, which was a move by western powers to overcome a Soviet blockade of Berlin.

It was also the first airport to operate regular passenger flights in 1923.

Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit has said he will ignore the vote, but Friedberg Pflueger, leader of the opposition Christian Democrats party, said the fact that the majority of people who did participate voted for Tempelhof to stay open was a 'clear message' to the mayor.

Mr Pflueger told Reuters: 'The fight for Tempelhof lives on.'

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