Responding to the Government’s announcement that the no-fly zone for drones around airports is to be extended following the disruption at Gatwick, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson Jenny Randerson said:“Extending the no-fly zone to prevent further drone incidents is futile on its own. The drone chaos in the run up to Christmas was caused by someone deliberately flying a drone in the current no-fly zone, showing that what is needed is a complete wholescale reform to regulate the Wild West drone market.
“The Liberal Democrats are clear that there must be compulsory registration for all those owning a drone. It is good that the Conservative Government are finally taking some long overdue action, but a piecemeal approach is not the answer.
“Extending the no-fly zone for drones will not prevent future chaos. We have been raising the dangers that drones pose for years; it is now time the Government did not rely on the airports preparing themselves but enacted significant change with sufficient resources behind it.”