Coastguard helicopter pilot suspended over Orkney butcher trip Published duration 20 April 2012

media caption The butcher on Orkney says the response is heavy handed

The pilot of a coastguard helicopter in Shetland has been suspended after dropping in on a butcher in Orkney to pick up meat.

The incident came to light after a video of the aircraft landing in a field was posted on YouTube.

It has emerged that the Shetland-based helicopter landed near Craigie's butchers in the east of mainland Orkney to pick up a consignment of meat.

The aircraft's operators, CHC, confirmed the pilot had been suspended.

Mobile phone footage - which has now been removed from YouTube - showed two crew getting out of the helicopter and walking over to a group of butchers, who handed over the bag of Orkney beef.

'High standards'

A CHC spokeswoman: "We can confirm that a pilot has been suspended pending the results of a formal investigation.

"We expect high standards of professionalism from all our employees and, if we find these have not been met, we will take the appropriate action.

"While the aircraft was previously engaged in a training exercise, it was operating a non-revenue flight at the time of the incident in question."

The butcher at the centre of the incident said he was horrified that the pilot had been suspended.