SOUTHEND Airport is spearheading the fight to tackle the threat of rogue drone users.

Gatwick was brought to a standstill for three days in the run up to Christmas after a number of drone sightings meant planes were not able to take off or land.

Sightings were also reported at Heathrow.

And now the head of air traffic services Damon Knight, has said Southend Airport is working with manufacturers of drone detection systems in a bid to track radio signals from drones so they can be identified quickly.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Knight said: “We’ve been trialling a couple of systems, very similar to each other, to detect drones.

“In particular, we’re trying to look for the radio signals from the drones, back to the operators, and then, potentially, we can locate where the drone is being flown, but more importantly, where it is being operated from.”

“Disruptive drone information will be passed to the police so that officers can apprehend the operators who are acting in a criminal way.”

Mr Knight’s comments come after Gatwick Airport was very severely affected by drones in December when it had to cancel flights over the course of three days, affecting the travel of an estimated 140,000 passengers.

Southend Airport began trialling new technology – labelled The Skyperion -– by Integrated Paramount Services and Metis Aerospace in May last year.

It is made up of six panels with round, white faces giving 360 degree detection for radio frequencies used by drone operators.

The Skyperion was eventually used by Gatwick Airport to combat the drones in December.

Mr Knight added: “We were looking at this well before the Gatwick and Heathrow incidents.

“The airport industry has been looking at it and therefore we saw it as an emergent threat, and we have been speaking to the manufacturers of drone detection systems already.

“The key element of that will be to deploy systems such as we have been trialling at Southend but also work with the police and government to increase the powers and the changes in law that will prevent this happening.”