Hull Fair drone danger warning

Hull City Council has warned people not to fly drones over Hull Fair

People have been warned not to fly drones directly over Hull Fair as one professional operator warned it could lead to a serious and potentially fatal accident.

Hull City Council urged anyone who owns a drone or a similar device to avoid flying it over the event, one of the biggest travelling fairs in Europe.

According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), drone operators must never fly drones over people who are crowded together.

Christopher Fenton, director of drone service provider, OctoVision Media said he had seen drones flown over the site every night, describing a "worst case senario" of a drone crashing into a ride, leading to "multiple casualties and potentially deaths".

A council spokesperson said: "Maintaining the safety of visitors and the fair is paramount and anyone getting involved in flying drones in this area is risking the wellbeing of others."

The spokesperson added: "We would urge anyone who owns a drone or similar to refrain from flying drones over Hull Fair, which is a densely populated event."

It is against CAA rules to fly drones, regardless of device type or weight, over crowds.

A crowd is any group of people who cannot move away quickly because of the number of other people around them, according to the CAA.

Mr Fenton said he had seen "multiple drones" flying over the site.

"I've witnessed a near-miss where there's been a drone above the fairground and a balloon is floating to it. It didn't hit it, but it could happen," he said.

"The worst case scenario is the drone drops out of the sky, lands in a ride mechanism, which then breaks that, which then causes multiple casualties and potentially deaths.

"It could happen, there's a chance, and, therefore, it shouldn't be done at all."

Anyone who breaks the CAA's drone rules could be fined for breaking the law or, in more serious cases, sent to prison.

The fair, which opened on 10 October, will run until Saturday.

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