Calls for 'severe' deterrents after airport drone disruption
BBCPeople have called for deterrents to be "severe" to prevent drones being flown illegally near Jersey Airport, which has led to disrupted and diverted flights.
Flights were affected on Friday and Saturday evenings after unauthorised drone activity was reported, leading to services being cancelled or diverted to other airports, including Paris.
Islanders said the disruption caused had been ridiculous and were worried it could happen again unless the perpetrators were "frightened" from doing so.
The island's government said the situation was being treated extremely seriously and anyone with information about the drones or their pilots should contact States of Jersey Police.
A police spokesperson said the drone activity was reported in active flight paths at the airport.
Flying drones within Jersey Airport's restricted airspace zone without prior permission from Air Traffic Control is illegal.
Under the Air Navigation (Jersey) Law 2014, anyone who is deemed to have endangered the safety of an aircraft could be fined or imprisoned for five years.
Islander Stuart Abraham said he hoped the incident would not be copied by others and he hoped authorities were "very serious" about preventing it happening again.
"Something needs to be written into the law which really frightens drone pilots off to prevent them doing it in the first place," Abraham said.
"It's got to be quite severe.
"I'm not talking about bringing back the birch, but certainly if they were threatened with automatic imprisonment or something like that, it might work."
Another resident, Jonathan Hudson, said the whole situation had been quite concerning.
He added: "I don't understand why they're doing it, it's all unnecessary.
"Because of the last two nights with all the cancellations and disturbance, something's got to be done.
"I don't understand why these people aren't getting caught."
Sue Dawes, who said her son lived near the airport, said she was worried a similar incident could lead to a "terrible accident".
"What are they [the drone pilots] thinking?" Dawes said.
"They know it's going to cause a lot of havoc and distress for a lot of people, especially those trying to get away for medical reasons or trying to come home."
Senator Lyndon Farnham, Jersey's Chief Minister, said people should be "under no illusion" about the seriousness of the incidents.
"Operating a drone close to an airport is not a prank or a harmless hobby," he said.
"It puts public safety at risk, disrupts critical transport infrastructure and can have significant consequences for hundreds of travellers and businesses.
"To those responsible, the message is clear - if you are identified, you should expect to face the full consequences of the law."