Flight instructor blinded by laser forced to land plane

A pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Cambridgeshire after a laser was shone at the light aircraft he was flying.

The flight instructor was flying a Cessna 172 near St Neots when he spotted the laser below.

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Luckily, the instructor from Cambridge Aero Club landed the aircraft without injury but a spokesman for the club told Cambridge News: "This is something that's an ongoing issue. This is the first time this has happened to this instructor.

"They were aware of a laser going on on the ground and managed to come back to Cambridge. It could have been worse."

According to the Daily Mail, police are investigating the incident which happened at 6.30pm on Tuesday.

The laser attack comes after a pilots' union said "more needs to be done" to tackle the growing use of lasers against aircraft following a New York-bound plane having to turn back to Heathrow.

The Virgin Atlantic flight returned to the west London airport as a "precautionary measure" after the co-pilot reported feeling unwell following the incident.

A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said the safety of the crew and customers on board the VS025 travelling from London Heathrow to New York JFK flight was a "top priority."