Amazon drones could soon become a familiar sight over UK town as delivery rollout grows

Amazon delivery drones could soon become a familiar sight in the skies above a major UK town as the retail giant takes another big step towards a full UK rollout.

From Tuesday, around 8,000 households in Darlington will be able to order eligible Amazon products and have them dropped off by drone in under an hour.

Until now, the Prime Air service has been available to only around 600 customers following a limited trial launched earlier this year.

But Amazon has now secured new safety clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority which allows its drones to fly further and operate across more built-up areas.

In simple terms, it gives Amazon much more freedom to expand the service beyond its small-scale trial and could eventually pave the way for drone deliveries in towns and cities across Britain.

“This is just the beginning for Prime Air in the UK,” said Theunis Scheepers, Amazon's director for Prime Air in Europe.

The service is included with Amazon Prime at no extra delivery charge. Customers will see which products can be delivered by drone while shopping and at checkout.

There are still restrictions. Deliveries are currently limited to customers with a suitable garden, yard or driveway, while packages must weigh less than 5lb and be roughly no bigger than a large shoebox.

But the prospect of significantly more drones flying above homes is unlikely to please everybody.

Some Darlington residents have previously raised concerns about noise and privacy, while the council required Amazon to have a noise complaint management plan as part of planning permission for its drone operation.

There have also been questions over safety.

In July, an Amazon delivery drone crashed into a garden in Darlington after coming into contact with an object extending above a moving vehicle. Nobody was injured and Amazon said the drone had responded as designed and come safely to the ground.

Drone deliveries have faced even fiercer opposition in the US. Earlier this month Amazon abandoned plans for a proposed Prime Air operation in Westborough, Massachusetts, after residents and politicians raised concerns about noise, safety and privacy.

Amazon insists its latest MK30 drones have been designed to operate quietly and safely.

They use cameras, sensors and automated systems to spot other aircraft, people, animals and obstacles while flying, and can avoid hazards such as washing lines and trampolines as they descend.

Amazon says the drones are quieter than a typical delivery.

For Darlington residents, however, the biggest change may simply be looking up and seeing far more Amazon parcels flying overhead.