EAST Lancashire MP Gordon Prentice was about to board the county police helicopter when it was suddenly scrambled back to his Pendle constituency.

The Labour back-bencher and work experience student Victoria Rigg went to Warton Aerodrome to quiz police chiefs about the use of the aircraft.

Mr Prentice's concern was sparked by the use of the helicopter for over half an hour in the dead of night over Barnoldswick, where he lives.

It disturbed dozens of local people, including students sitting exams in the morning.

After a briefing by unit boss Inspector Steve Fitzgerald, Mr Prentice was about to climb aboard before it headed east.

He said: "We had travelled over to Warton to hear more about the operational criteria used to commit the helicopter and, as luck would have it, it shot off to do a search for a missing person - on Pendle Hill of all places.

"The police are clearly sensitive about the inappropriate use of the helicopter and I was assured it is never used for training purposes during the night.

"Since it was introduced in 1994 it has been responsible for more than 1,000 arrests, including 65 armed robbers and more than 450 car thieves.

"The thermal imaging devices it carries light up the night as if it were day.

"The criminals can run, but they can't hide. It is certainly a valuable weapon in the police armoury."

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