Lasers pointed at Yorkshire Air Ambulance during urgent callouts

Yorkshire Air Ambulance chief pilot Owen McTeggart said lasers can create serious dangers when in the wrong hands

Lasers have been fired at air ambulance crews while they worked to save lives, prompting a fresh warning about the dangers.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance said crews had experienced two separate incidents in the last week while attending callouts.

A pilot told the BBC: "Any distraction is extremely dangerous to the helicopter, crew and people around."

Anyone caught shining a laser at an aircraft faces an unlimited fine and up to five years in jail.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance said a laser was pointed at a helicopter while it was in the Wakefield area on Tuesday evening.

A further incident took place on Wednesday night in Baildon, a spokesperson for the charity said.

Speaking about the latest occurrences, chief pilot Owen McTeggart told BBC Radio York those pointing lasers at aircraft were "adding to the dangers we face each day and make our job more difficult".

"People seem to think it's a bit of fun to point a laser at a helicopter and to see what happens without understanding the implications to the crew and the patients we are trying to save," he said.

"Every stage of our flight is critical, especially when we are looking to land to treat a patient or to land at a hospital."

Yorkshire Air Ambulance crews have experienced two separate incidents in the last seven days

Laser incidents can force ambulance crews to abort missions for safety reasons.

Mr McTeggart said it had been a recurring problem in recent years, with lasers an even greater danger during night flights.

"Depending on distance it can damage our eyes, if it's a little further away it can cause a distraction and make us veer off course," he said.

"The more we can help people's understanding that this isn't fun, it's very dangerous, the more the problem will go away."

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