ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

A suspected drone that struck a British Airways jet as it prepared to land at Heathrow Airport could have been a plastic bag, a minister has said.

Transport minister Robert Goodwill admitted the object that hit the passenger plane had not been confirmed as a remote-controlled device.

On Sunday, a pilot on a BA flight from Geneva told police the aircraft was travelling at about 1,700ft when the front of the plane was struck.

Police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch are investigating.

Today in front of a House of Lords committee, Mr Goodwill cautioned against overreacting to the incident following safety fears and calls for the Government to tighten legislation against the use of drones.

He said: "The reported drone strike on Sunday has not been confirmed it was actually a drone. It was the local police force that tweeted that they had a report of a drone striking an aircraft.

"And indeed the early reports of a dent in the front of the plane were not confirmed - there was no actual damage to the plane and there's indeed some speculation that it may have even been a plastic bag or something.

"I've not actually landed a 747 at Heathrow but I've landed the simulator and the pilot has a lot of other things to concentrate on so we're not quite sure what they saw so I think we should maybe not overreact too much."

Asked what the Government could do to tighten the laws around drone usage, he said: “There are already existing laws in place that require the user of drones to maintain direct unaided visual contact with their vehicle and not to recklessly or negligently permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property.

"So this instance that we've read about and is alleged were already breaking existing legislation and the Department [of Transport] and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are working with a wide range of industry partners across the sector, including manufacturers, airports and airlines to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircrafts remains up-to-date."

Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said while there had been no confirmation that the plane was hit by a drone, it was important the Government take notice of the issue.

He said: “It is the right thing for the Government to take action. People need to be more careful when flying heavy objects above people’s heads."