Will noisy drones upset doves?

THE idea has barely got off the ground. But Amazon’s plan to use drones to deliver parcels has already flown into a storm.

The online retailer is believed to have been granted permission to test the drones – which can reach speeds of 50mph – over picturesque farmland in Cambridgeshire.

However campaigners say the area near the village of Balsham is home to protected wildlife, which would be severely affected by the machines.

They say that ten miles of hedges along a historic Roman road have become the habitat of rare birds including turtle doves, and that buzzards and hawks fly in the area. Julia Napier, from the Friends of the Roman Road and Fleam Dyke group, said yesterday: ‘We are horrified at the idea. There are dozens of protected species that will be severely affected by the noise of drones.’

A spokesman for the National Farmers’ Union added that there ‘are concerns over the effect the noise of low-flying drones could have on livestock’.

Amazon refused to confirm or deny whether the area is being used to test drones. However permission has been granted by the Civil Aviation Authority.