PENDLE MP Gordon Prentice is to quiz county police chiefs over their use of the force's helicopter when he visits its base on Tuesday.

The Labour backbencher is alarmed about the possible excessive use of the helicopter at night.

He is to visit the Lancashire Police Air Support Unit at Warton aerodrome and ask Inspector Steve Fitzgerald about its rules of engagement.

Two months ago, Mr Prentice raised concerns from Barnoldswick residents, who were awakened just after midnight as the copter looked for suspected minor criminals.

It brought people in their night clothes on to the streets to see what the commotion was all about.

He said he had been told that the helicopter had made more than 1,000 arrests since it was introduced in 1994.

Mr Prentice, whose constituency home is in Barnoldswick, said: "I am looking forward to meeting Inspector Steve Fitzgerald and the rest of his team.

"No sensible person would object to their sleep being disturbed if the helicopter were used to counter serious crime but surely its prolonged use over a built up area in the middle of the night for something fairly minor is quite another matter."

The visit follows correspondence between Mr Prentice and Lancashire Chief Constable Pauline Clare over the incident.

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