YouTuber says he was 'testing new drone in Southampton' as Premier League game suspended

Moments after a drone caused Southampton's clash against Aston Villa to be temporarily suspended, a local YouTuber has said he was testing his drone in the area

Patrick Austen-Hardy Senior Sports Journalist

18:26, 21 Jan 2023Updated 20:59, 21 Jan 2023

Southampton vs Aston Villa game interrupted by drone

A Southampton-based YouTuber said he was testing my new drone today after the Saints Premier League clash was delayed due to a drone flying over the stadium.

Nathan Jones sides home match against Aston Villa was temporarily after it was spotted over St Mary's in the 42nd minute. Both teams had to be rushed off the pitch until the drone flew away from the ground.

Premier League rules forbid the use of drones in football stadiums and dictate play must be stopped if one is seen to be hovering over the field of play. But while it is unknown as to whether he was the one who caused the stoppage, a Southampton-based YouTuber named Ally Law posted a photo of his drone on Twitter moments after the game was halted.

[The drone temporarily forced the match to be stopped]

The drone temporarily forced the match to be stopped(Image: Getty Images)

Around 52 minutes after the Saints and Aston Villa game kicked off, Law uploaded the image of his drone alongside the caption Testing my new drone today over Southampton. Beautiful day for it!

Drones are strictly forbidden from being flown near or over Premier League matches due to safety reasons.

What was your reaction to the chaos caused by the drone? Let us know in the comments section below

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[Ally Law is a YouTuber who claimed he was testing his drone in Southampton around the time of the game]

Ally Law is a YouTuber who claimed he was testing his drone in Southampton around the time of the game(Image: @AllyLaws/Youtube)

A report conducted by Football Safety Officers Associations business development manager John Newsham states, "Although the use of drones over football stadiums has not been widespread, the emergence of cases of aircraft being flown over grounds to capture games and images has highlighted the potential safety and security risks that they bring.

"The very nature of their remote-controlled design leads to a number of risks including the possibility of the loss of control of a drone over spectators or near to structures.

[0_Southampton-FC-v-Aston-Villa-Premier-League.jpg]

(Image: Getty Images)

"Most worrying is the potential drones present for terrorist activity. Terrorists already have a whole arsenal of weapons at their disposal but as new technologies become cheaper and more readily available, drones now provide them with the ability to carry out even more horrifying attacks.

"Drones have become an integral part of global military life, where they have been used to launch remote attacks, and the potential they have to cause devastation at football stadiums by carrying explosives or poisonous gases is one that cannot be ignored."

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