RECKLESS users of laser pens have been branded as “idiots” by the chief pilot of the region’s air ambulance service after his crew risked their lives to land an aircraft.

Captain Jay Steward, of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), was flying back from a rescue mission to save a man in his twenties with life-threatening head injuries when the helicopter was targeted by a laser strike.

The aircraft was preparing to land at the charity’s base at Durham Tees Valley Airport, near Darlington, when a blinding green laser beam was repeatedly shone into the helicopter’s cabin on Sunday night.

One of the members of the crew spotted the laser beam being shone from the ground before it lit up the cabin repeatedly, putting pilot Capt Steward and his crew in serious danger.

Capt Steward, an experienced former military pilot, said: “It might all seem like fun and games from the ground, but I’m telling you it’s no fun at 700ft with a crew of dedicated medics on board, when the beam could be burning your retina and you are just trying your best to get everyone home safely.”

He added: “They are idiots.

“We would ask people that if they see someone using a laser pen recklessly, to call the police.”

The incident happened at around 9.25pm on Sunday, April 9.

Crew members reported that the beam appeared to have been shone from near the Tesco Superstore, off the A67 roundabout with Durham Lane and Elton Lane, in Eaglescliffe.

Capt Steward had briefed his crew on the possibilities of being targeted by a laser strike as they were travelling in darkness following a similar attack in November near the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

The chief pilot said: “It’s a shame we are having to prepare our crews for laser strikes, but that’s the world we are living in sadly.

“I can’t emphasise enough how dangerous this is.

“It causes temporary sight loss, which could quite feasibly cause the pilot to lose control of the aircraft.

“The consequences of that don’t bear thinking about.”

On this occasion, none of the GNAAS crew members and medics on-board suffered any damage to their eyesight.

The incident has been reported to Cleveland Police and aviation authorities.

Following the most recent laser strike, GNAAS’s aviation operators, Multiflight, have announced plans to introduce temporary protective visors for the aircrafts that serve the North-East and Cumbria.

Capt Steward added: “As with everything we buy, the money from this will have to come from public donations.”

The aircraft had been returning to its base from the James Cook University Hospital after airlifting a driver involved in a crash with a lorry in Kirkwhelpington, Northumberland.

The man who had been driving a car arrived in a stable condition.

Anyone with information on the incident can contact Cleveland Police via non-emergency number 101.

Alternatively, for more information on GNAAS or to donate to the air ambulance charity, visit greatnorthairambulance.co.uk