A drone crashed into the sea at North Sands on Tuesday evening, narrowly missing a group of friends swimming in the sea.

Chris Honour, a local electrician, had been paddle-boarding with his friend Martin Cording, when they witnessed the crash from the beach.

Martin explained: “We were paddling around the rocks between North Sands and South Sands when a drone appeared, spoiling the tranquility of the evening.

“When we came back to North Sands, there were five or six people in the water. We suddenly heard a scream as the drone fell out of the sky, landing in the middle of the group, only five feet from the swimmers. They were incredibly lucky not to have been hurt.

“The swimmers recovered the drone form the water, and took it up to the rocks by the wall at the top of the beach. We don’t know who was flying the drone, but someone was hanging around on his own, looking a bit sheepish shortly afterwards.

“They definitely need to be more careful. People without experience shouldn’t be flying drones around people - it’s an accident waiting to happen.”

Chris said: “It had been flying low, buzzing over our heads and around the beach for about 40 minutes before it crashed. We think it came from South Sands - there was a large group of people on a balcony there. We were gobsmacked. It was scary. If it had hit someone, it could have killed them.”

Chris tried to call 101 for an hour, and eventually was told to email the police as there was nobody to take his report over the telephone.

A Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said: “The public should report any drone-related concerns to the police. It is for the police to investigate any matters, including associated issues such as anti-social behaviour or damage caused by drones.”

According to the CAA, “a drone must never be flown beyond the ‘line of sight’ of the person operating it, generally measured as 500m horizontally or 120m vertically. A drone must always be flown at least 50m distance away from a person, vehicle, building or structure that you are not in control of. And a drone must not be flown within 150m of a congested area or large group of people, such as a sporting event or concert.”

For further information on drone safety, visit the ‘drone safe’ website at: dronsesafe.uk.

The drone code:

1. Always keep your drone in sight - This means you can see and avoid other things while flying.

2. Stay below 400ft (120m) to comply with the drone code - This reduces the likelihood of a conflict with manned aircraft.

3. Every time you fly your drone you must follow the manufacturer’s instructions - Keep your drone, and the people around you, safe.

4. Keep the right distance from people and property - People and properties - 150ft (50m); Crowds and built-up areas - 500 ft (150m).

5. You are responsible for each flight - Legal responsibility lies with you. Failure to fly responsibly could result in criminal prosecution.

6. Stay well away from aircrafts, airports and airfields - If your drone endangers the safety of an aircraft it is a criminal offence and you could go to prison for five years.