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A pilot made an emergency landing at Heathrow after 390 cows he was transporting ­gave off too much heat, reports the Sunday People.

The Boeing 747 was flying over the Irish Sea when a fire warning sounded from the deck where the animals were being kept.

But technicians later found no evidence of smoke or flames.

The landing ­followed one of 1,262 distress ­signals sent to UK ­airports over the past two years – nearly two a day.

Civil Aviation Authority data ­released to the Sunday People under Freedom of Information law revealed 186 maydays and 1,076 less urgent pan-pan calls.

Incidents ­included jets hitting birds and crew falling ill.

Aviation expert David Learmount, from the Flightglobal ­website, said: “A ­mayday or pan-pan call doesn’t mean you will have a ­disaster.

"Usually ­nobody is hurt.”