A LOCAL MP is calling for an urgent safety review into low flying jets over North and Mid Wales.

Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts has called on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to undertake the review following two near misses involving military aircrafts in the past 16 months.

In August 2014, three Hawk jets and two Typhoons nearly collided above Dolgellau in an incident Mrs Roberts described as Britain’s “worst single near miss”.

Just under a year later, two £20m RAF fighter jets avoided a catastrophic head-on collision over the so-called ‘Mach loop’ by just seconds as they flew above the Dyfnant Forest in July of this year.

Mrs Roberts has also written to the Ministry of Defence to seek clarification on whether the Prime Minister’s National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence Review will lead to greater use of mid-Wales and the Machynlleth Loop for low flying training exercises.

She said: “There have been two near misses involving jets entering the Machynlleth Loop from different points in the past sixteen months.

“As far as I’m concerned, that’s two too many.

“Repeated calls have been made for the MoD to fully investigate these breaches of safety and take firm steps to mitigate the impact of low-flying across parts of rural Meirionnydd.

“Whilst I appreciate the most recent report of a near miss above the Dyfnant Forest is just outside of my constituency, it nevertheless compounds the worry that many Meirionnydd residents have about the frequency of these low flying aircraft, particularly those using the Machynlleth Loop.

“Surely it’s time for the MoD to consider the effects these jets are having on local residents, especially if low-fly training across Meirionnydd is permitted to increase.

“Given the considerable concerns amongst residents in my constituency to indications that low flying exercises are to increase, I urge the Ministry of Defence to undertake an urgent impact assessment to include the opportunity for local people to express how continued low-flying military activity impacts upon their lives and for the MoD to seek acceptable steps to alleviate this practice.”