Extinction events: 'If a comet hits Earth, life will turn to pain'

“When – not if – it happens, the effects could will be catastrophic.”

For Jay Tate, the danger of a comet or an asteroid hitting the Earth is an ever-present threat that too few people take seriously.

He is the director of the Spaceguard Centre, near Knighton, in Powys, a working observatory which tracks "near-Earth objects".

Mr Tate said technology exists to be able to "nudge" comets and asteroids away from Earth if they are detected early enough.