A DRONE has come within 100 feet of a passenger plane flying over the Scottish Borders.

The incident reported to the UK Airprox Board reveals that there was a "very high" risk of collision over the village of Dewar on August 12.

A pilot of the Airbus A320, which holds nearly 200 passengers, reported that a black drone, possibly with blue markings, was seen directly ahead and above the aircraft. The drone passed before any action could be taken.

It had been flying at a height of 7,000ft when the incident occurred - over 17 times the legal altitude limit. Drones are not allowed to fly above 400ft.

The board reported that the drone had ventured into controlled airspace such that it was "endangering other aircraft at that location".

"The board considered that the pilot’s overall account of the incident portrayed a situation where providence had played a major part in the incident and/or a definite risk of collision had existed," the report said.

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It was one of 16 drone, balloon, model or unknown object incidents put before UKAB last month, with six being within the highest risk category.

There is growing concern about drones being flown near airports.

An analysis in August found that record numbers of drones are drifting into the flight paths of aircraft taking off and landing at major airports.

Near misses between drones and aircraft had been reported at a rate of almost three a week this year.

Data from the Civil Aviation Authority showed 68 incidents in the first six months, with at least a third taking place around Heathrow and seven near Gatwick. Both airports recently suffered temporary shutdowns after drones were spotted over the airfields.

Other drone incidents this year near airports have included Edinburgh, Manchester and Glasgow.

Multiple sightings of the gadgets caused flights to be grounded over 36 hours at Gatwick in the run-up to last Christmas, while departures at Heathrow were suspended for an hour last week after a drone was spotted.

Earlier this year, it was revealed an Airbus A319 passenger jet coming in to land at Glasgow Airport came within 150ft of a drone in February.

A Boeing B737 came within 100ft of a drone while coming in to land at Edinburgh Airport in May.

And another Airbus A319 came within 20ft of colliding with a suspected drone in June as it flew over Rosyth, Fife.

The jet was ascending into the sky when the pilot noticed a 'metallic' object in the air and believed it was either a drone or a weather balloon.