Pilots heading for Birmingham international airport have reportedly had to contend with the noise of garage music over their headsets as they try to listen to instructions from air traffic controllers.
According to The Guardian, the dance music, which has a “loud, thumping and repetitive bass line” was being transmitted from a pirate radio station based on top of a city-centre tower block.
A spokesman for the communications watchdog Ofcom told the newspaper that it had carried out the raid after complaints from pilots.
However, national Air Traffic Services (Nats) is quoted as stating: “These were short bursts of interference that did not upset our operations or instructions to pilots.
It did not threaten safety because we have got safety procedures in place and we can switch to other frequencies if we have to.We did not need to in this case.”
The Guardian states that Birmingham ins not the only airport to have faced this kind of problem – there have been similar incidents at Heathrow and London City airports.
West Midlands police reportedly closed the Birmingham station down on Wednesday after they seized a transmitter and two aerials.
Report by Tim Gillett,
News From Abroad Ltd www.newsfromabroad.com
