Police are urging drone operators to avoid flying over farmland after cattle were reportedly panicked by a drone on the island.

The Isle of Man Constabulary said it had recently received ‘a report of a drone flying over farmland and in close proximity to livestock on the farm’.

According to police, ‘the activity of the drone over the farmland caused cattle at the location to panic and flee’.

The constabulary warned the incident ‘placed the cattle at risk of injury and could have potentially caused injury to farmers present’.

With warmer weather expected to encourage more recreational drone use, police said they anticipated ‘more drone operators will want to blow the cobwebs off their drones to enjoy the stunning views the island has to offer’.

However, the force urged users to ‘refrain from use over agricultural land to avoid causing harm to any animals or farmers’.

In the statement, police also issued a reminder about the legal requirements surrounding drone use.

They said: ‘Regardless of the size of your drone (under or over 250g), you must always fly safely and must not endanger any persons, property or aircraft. To do so is an offence.’

The constabulary added that operators of drones weighing more than 250g must keep their drone in sight at all times and ‘don’t fly your SUA at night as it can be very difficult to monitor your SUA flight properly so that you can avoid collisions’.

Drone users were also reminded not to fly above 400 feet and not to operate within 5km of the Isle of Man Airport without permission.

The force warned that using a drone to look into someone’s property ‘may constitute a criminal offence’.

Police said breaches of the rules can result in ‘fines of up to £10,000 or up to five years in prison’.