A pilot has revealed a close call with a "large drone or balloon" while flying over Hatfield last year, as concerns continue over spy balloons in UK airspace.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Government will do "whatever it takes" to keep the UK safe from the threat of spy balloons, after US authorities shot down a series of objects in recent days, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

Analysis of UK Airprox Board (UKAB) data by the PA news agency revealed at least seven near misses with objects which may have been balloons in UK airspace last year.

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One of those took place in the skies over Hatfield on July 16, when the captain and first officer in the cockpit of an Airbus A320 noticed an object which was "grey/silver in colour and about the size of a large drone or balloon".

It was "almost shiny in appearance" and passed "within 100-200ft below their aircraft".

The UKAB concluded that the incident had the second-highest level of risk as "safety had been much reduced below the norm".

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In October 2017, the Met Office said it "launches over 4,300 balloons every year from six locations across the UK" and is "involved in launching thousands more around the globe".