Drones to deliver £42bn boost

DRONES could give a £42bn boost to Britain’s economy by 2030 as the airborne devices are increasingly used for commercial activity, a report by accountancy giant PwC says.

There will be more than 76,000 in the UK skies by the end of the next decade.

They could be used in areas such as defence and health and education, says PwC, with the biggest boost to output in the wholesale and retail sector.

PwC’s Elaine Whyte said: ‘The advantages of drone technology will be not only for business purposes, but for helping to protect our society, for example, through being used by emergency services.’ They could also save £ 16bn through increased productivity by 2030, when PwC estimates there will be 628,000 people working in the sector.

Jonathan Gillham, economics director at PwC, added: ‘Drones could spark significant improvements in the UK economy.’