How Gatwick airport has been paralysed by a Christmas toy

The most worrying aspect of the Gatwick shutdown is that it seems to have been caused by the sort of drone that can be bought for a few hundred pounds – like the type of toy that many parents will give their children as a present this Christmas.

Experts fear that such devices could do unimaginable damage to a plane travelling at a runway approach speed of 200mph.

The 5lb of metal, plastic and battery that constitute a £499 DJI Phantom 3, for example, could rip through one of its Rolls-Royce engines and smash a cockpit windshield.