The Government has proposed a crackdown on personal drones following a spike in occasions when they were flown too closely to aircraft.

As part of the proposals, drone pilots will be required to register when they purchase one of the unmanned flying devices and take a test to show they understand safety guidelines.

Everyone from professional videographers to hobbyists to kids could face tough penalties if their drone strays into no-fly zones, including criminal charges.

The suggestions for stringent new rules come out of a Department of Transportation consultation about drone safety, which follows a 93 per cent increase in incidents involving planes and drones this year. Up from six times when drones nearly collided with aeroplanes in 2014 and 29 occasions in 2015, so far this year there have been 56 near-misses, according to the UK Airprox Board.