LONDON, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The British government ispreparing to tighten drone regulations after a series ofnear-misses with passenger planes over the last two years andgrowing concern about their use near prisons.
A consultation on drone safety will discuss introducing newsafeguards such as the compulsory registration of new drones,mandatory safety tests and whether to introduce a new criminaloffence for drone misuse around "no-fly zones."
"Our priority is the safe operation of drones and we cannotunderestimate the importance of understanding how to use dronessafely and responsibly," said Tim Johnson, Policy Director ataviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
In April, a British Airways jet was hit by a suspected droneas it landed at London's Heathrow airport, while in August apassenger plane narrowly avoided being hit by a drone as itprepared to land in Cornwall.
Concern is also growing about the use of drones to illegallyfly drugs and mobile phones into prisons: the number of suchincidents in England and Wales rose from zero in 2013 to 33 in2015, and at least four drones attempted to access HMPPentonville, in London, during a single weekend in August.
Under current laws, anyone can fly a drone weighing lessthan 20 kg, for non-commercial purposes.
The drone must avoid congested areas, cannot fly within 50metres (yards) of a person, vessel, vehicle or structure andmust remain within sight at all times.
Anyone wanting to use drones for commercial purposes mustseek permission from the CAA, which currently has over 2,000commercial drones registered as active.
They are used by emergency services, transport and energyproviders and conservation groups to improve services, respondto incidents and save lives. (Reporting by Camilla Hodgson; editing by Stephen Addison)
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