POLICE have reminded people not to fly their drones close to aircraft in a video advising how to use the vehicles safely.

The guide, posted on Thames Valley Police's Facebook page, comes after hundreds of flights at Gatwick Airport were cancelled before Christmas following drone sightings in the area.

The short video tells people to keep their drone 'in sight and all times' and always fly below 400ft.

It adds the vehicles should never be flown within 50 metres of a person, vehicle or building not under the pilot's control.

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Police have also told users to ensure any images obtained using the drone do not break privacy laws.

The video ends with a reminder that endangering aircraft with a drone is a criminal offence.

It was posted on Tuesday, the same day as managers at Heathrow Airport ordered an emergency one-hour halt to flights taking off due to a drone sighting.

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Police are investigating whether the drone flights at Heathrow and Gatwick were carried out by the same group or a copycat crime.