A warning has been issued after a Great North Air Ambulance was delayed in taking a County Durham patient to hospital due to a drone flying close by.
The critical care team of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) attended a recent incident in Stanley and loaded a patient into the helicopter.
However, the team became aware of a drone flying in close proximity meaning the helicopter could not take off until the drone was away from the area.
As a result, the helicopter had to wait five minutes before they could take off and get their patient to hospital.
Following the incident, GNAAS has issued a warning to people who fly drones urging them to "fly responsibly".
A spokesperson for the Great North Air Ambulance Service said: "Our critical care team recently attended an incident in Stanley and whilst loading the patient into the helicopter, became aware of a drone flying in close proximity.
"This led to a delay of five minutes before our helicopter could take off and get our patient to hospital.
"If you own a drone, please fly responsibly."
It is against the law to fly a drone or model aircraft without having the required IDs.
You can also be fined for breaking the law when flying or sent to prison for the most serious cases.
