LEEDS Bradford Airport have confirmed that two flights reported lasers being shone at them on their way in to land overnight yesterday, with one ward councillor saying the perpetrators “haven’t got any brains”.

Graham Latty (Con, Guiseley and Rawdon) said it was a “dreadful risk” using a laser, as the airport is surrounded by people and housing.

He fumed: “It just shows, quite frankly, the depths people will go to. They haven’t got any brains.

“It’s a dreadful risk trying to bring a plane down, especially as Leeds-Bradford is in a domestic setting, with houses on three sides.

“People who would do that clearly don’t know what they’re doing. and as a councillor, and a human being, I find it ridiculous and disgusting.”

The reports of the lasers being used at Leeds Bradford came in at 11:30pm on Tuesday night and 12:48am yesterday morning.

Both were Jet2 flights coming in to the airport.

The former was flight LS274, coming in from Alicante, while the later was flight LS250, entering the country from Fuerteventura.

The first incident was reported four miles out of runway 32, while the second one was between the A65 and Cardigan Fields Retail Park.

In both instances, West Yorkshire Police were informed. No further incidents were reported.

All safety procedures were activated and managed by Air Traffic Control and Leeds Bradford Airport received brief assistance from a National Police Air Service helicopter that was operating nearby.

The airport have confirmed they are helping the police with their investigations.

In a statement, Leeds Bradford said: “We can confirm that two inbound flights reported a laser on approach to Leeds Bradford Airport last night.

“The necessary safety procedures were immediately activated and we can confirm that the airport is fully open and receiving flights.

“We are liaising with West Yorkshire Police regarding the incident and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “In an attack, a laser pointer is deliberately or recklessly shone at airborne aircraft, sometimes persistently over a period of minutes.

“The impact on a pilot is at the very least distracting, but can be serious enough to cause temporary blindness and in some cases; lasting eye damage.

“What may seem harmless fun to the culprit, could potentially have devastating consequences for the crew and passengers in the aircraft as well as innocent members of public on the ground.

“In the most serious cases, using a laser pointer can carry a prison sentence and we would encourage people to think about their actions and the impact it could have on others.”

A UK Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said: “Anyone convicted of shining a laser at an aircraft could face a significant fine or even prison.

“We strongly urge anyone who sees lasers being used in the vicinity of an airport to contact the police immediately.”