Drone users warned to avoid Red Arrows training base by police

Drone users have been warned by police to stay away from a base being used by the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows display team.

On a temporary basis, some of the display team is using the airspace in and around RAF Syerston, near Newark, Nottinghamshire, to practise routines.

As a result, "temporary flying restrictions are now in place", according to Nottinghamshire Police.

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The rolling restrictions "will remain in place until 7 April, ban all aircraft – including drones – from a five-mile radius around the base", the police said.

The police warning said: "Drone operators found flying their devices in this Temporary Danger Area (TDA) during published training times could face criminal charges."

Two Red Arrows jets - known as the Synchro Pair - are temporarily training at RAF Syesteron, while the rest of the team continues to train over their old base, RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

The team requires different airspace sites depending on what type of training is needed to be completed.

Sergeant Vince Saunders, Nottinghamshire Police's chief drone pilot, said: "Drones can be great fun to fly but they can also pose a significant danger to low-flying aircraft."

Sergeant Saunders added: "With the world-famous Red Arrows display team now operating in the skies above Nottinghamshire, we are reminding all users to take additional care about where and when they fly.

"The current restrictions in and around RAF Syerston are applied on a rolling basis and it is the responsibility of all drone operators to check when those restrictions are in place.

"A drone operator in Buxton, Derbyshire, was recently convicted of endangering a flight by the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and we are keen to avoid any similar incidents in Nottinghamshire."

He continued: "For more information on flying drones legally and safely, please read The Drone and Model Aircraft Code, the official guidance from the Civil Aviation Authority.

"If pilots are unsure about the location of a Flight Restriction Zone and where they can and can't fly drones they should visit www.dronesafetymap.com or download the 'DroneAssist' App for their smartphone."

The Red Arrows are expected to move overseas to complete their traditional pre-display season training in more settled weather conditions in the coming months.