A WARNING has been issued to owners of drones caught flying over Minehead Town Council land or buildings.

They must observe strict safety guidelines or risk their unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being banned from the area, council members decided at their meeting on Tuesday.

Presenting a report on drone control, the mayor Cllr Jean Parbrook said that, in future, owners of electric powered remote-controlled model aircraft, UAVs and jet-powered models flying over Minehead must follow Civil Aviation Authority guidance on safety and proper control.

She said Minehead was one of the first towns in the area to tackle the drone problem and added: “We like to be at the cutting edge and I think we are ahead of the game.”

It was agreed that residents could have permission to fly their remote-control drones over council property if this was done safely.

But they could not be flown:

l Over sports grounds if in use.

l Over parked vehicles or roads.

l Within 20 metres of people in parks.

l Near overhead wires.

l Within 50 metres of livestock or wildlife habitats.

Drone flyers should also “be courteous to other recreation users, including people walking dogs”, fly in daylight hours only and cease operation if requested by town council staff.

The new rules also stipulate that drone-flyers should not post internet images taken of town recreation areas without permission.

Councillors agreed that any breaches of the guidelines could lead to a drone not being allowed to fly on public land.

They urged the public to report violations of the code to the council and, if there was an urgent risk to public safety, to contact the police.

But Cllr Gary Meile stressed the need for adequate signage to highlight the new policy: “The public needs to be fully notified about this,” he said.