Minister's threat after drones spotted at Norfolk air base

Drones were spotted flying over RAF Feltwell in Norfolk and at RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk on Monday night, after a string of sightings last week.

The issue was raised in the House of Commons on Wednesday (November 27).

Defence minister Maria Eagle (Image: Andrew Milligan / PA) Defence minister Maria Eagle said: "Protection of our personnel and bases is our highest priority. We employ multi-layered and credible force protection measures.

"I will not say here precisely what has been employed and where. For security reasons, I will not go into specifics, but the chamber can be assured that we are taking steps.

"We are aware of what is going on and are doing our best to deal with it.

"We will be making sure that anybody we manage to catch engaging in such behaviour is shown the full force of the law for their illegal activities.

"That is about all that I can say at present. Obviously, the chamber would not expect me to go into too many details, but we are fully dealing with the matter."

Investigations into the drone sightings are under way, with around 60 British troops deployed to help the United States Air Force (USAF) in its investigation of the incident.

The USAF has said the number of sightings "fluctuated and varied between the bases" but the drones have not been identified as hostile.

It comes days after it was confirmed that a small number of “unmanned aerial systems” were spotted in the vicinity of the three bases between Wednesday and Sunday.

Radar systems at RAF Feltwell (Image: Newsquest)

The drones have caused fear among people in Feltwell, with councillor Pallavi Devulapalli urging for better communication.

She said: "When tensions are high around the world and there is growing anxiety, we need reassurances and communication about where they have come from."

Drone sightings can cause chaos for aircraft, with Gatwick Airport famously being shut down in 2018 after several drones intruded into its airspace.