UNMANNED military drone flights from West Wales Airport have been temporarily grounded while an investigation is held into the cause of a crash on Wednesday evening.

The pilotless Watchkeeper plane known as a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) came down outside Aberporth at around 5pm, raising safety concerns among the local community.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence told the Tivyside: “Safety is of paramount importance and, although we have not grounded the fleet, we have paused flying while initial investigations are carried out.”

Last year, two unmanned Watchkeeper aircraft were lost in the Irish Sea after taking off from West Wales Airport, again leading military chiefs to temporarily ground the entire fleet.

It is also understood there has been a couple of other incidents involving unmanned drones.

County councillor Clive Davies, who represents the Penparc ward, said: “I had a meeting with Penparc School yesterday with the school governors and headteacher.

“A letter is going from the school to the contractors asking whether the school is in the flight path for take-off and landing and could this be altered during school hours?”

Another concerned resident wrote in to the Tivyside to say: “Two down last year and now one down over land near us. How much longer are these things going to be allowed to fly around in our skies?”

Aberporth county councillor Gethin Davies said: “I can fully understand people’s concerns and I know we have had this issue before but until the inquiry is done there is little else we can say.

“The airport benefits the economy of the area and we do live in an area that is important for the defence of our country, where they are developing hi-tech systems. This sort of work has to be carried out somewhere.”

Firecrews from Cardigan, Crymych and Newcastle Emlyn were called to the scene of the latest crash on Wednesday and used foam and a hose reel to clean up the resulting fuel spill. No one was hurt in the incident.

West Wales Airport is used by both civil and military traffic and the Ministry of Defence use it to test their Watchkeeper drone.

An MOD spokesman said after the crash: “We are aware of an incident involving a Watchkeeper aircraft which did not result in any injuries. The aircraft has been secured and there is no risk to the public. An investigation is under way.”