Xmas Toy couldfly into trouble

Reports in the media suggest that unmanned flying craft - that can cost less than £50 - have soared in popularity.

Sussex Police are urging people who receive them, and the parents of children who are given them, to check they stay on the right side of the law when they send them into the sky.

The use of UAVs is covered by strict rules set by the Civil Aviation Authority, the organisation that regulates aircraft and air traffic controllers across the UK.

If you commit an offence - such as endangering an aircraft, flying a UAV too close to a building or operating one too close to a crowd - you can be fined thousands of pounds.

Inspector Mark Callaghan, from Sussex Police, said: “We really don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun but a UAV could endanger an aircraft if it gets in its way while it is taking off or landing - and it will hurt if one of them crashes into you.

“That is why there are restrictions on who can fly a UAV and where they can be flown and I would encourage anyone who gets one to make sure they know the rules before they put them in the air.”

For guidance on what you can and cannot do with a UAV, visit www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?CATID=1995.