There may never have been any drones at Gatwick

A senior detective then said it was a “possibility” that there may never have been any drones in the area, despite scores of sightings which led to the closure of the airport for three days and caused massive disruption for passengers.

However, following the hour-long conference call – chaired by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling – a Government source said police had accepted that the claim was down to “poor communications”.

There had been more than 200 sightings since the first drone was spotted in the Gatwick area on Wednesday, with police taking 67 statements, including from police officers and airport staff.

Around 1,000 flights affecting some 140,000 passengers were cancelled or diverted across three days after drones were spotted inside the perimeter of London Gatwick on 19 december 2018.