Despite repeated warnings from the authorities, the sheer idiocy of people using high-powered laser pointers to target aircraft continues, seemingly hitting a high regarding numbers of incidents at the weekend.

There should really be no need to reiterate once again the inherent dangers of this activity, but for those who haven’t yet got the message, these laser pens when pointed at planes and helicopters can seriously risk interfering with the sight of the pilots and could have results which are nothing less than catastrophic.

One of the major problems seems to be the ease with which people can obtain such pointers. They are used for legitimate purposes, of course – as boardroom tools as a high-tech replacement for the old board pointer, and even by astronomers to point out the wonders of the night sky.

But many people are obviously buying them who intend to use them for malicious purposes. Police and trading standards authorities are doing their best to crack down on misuse, and there are strict regulations in the UK which limit the power of these pointers to a certain degree – less than one milliwatt.

The problem arises because there are much more powerful pointers on the market – purchasers are limited only by their budget – and despite efforts to restrict their use in this country, there are no restrictions on importing more heavy-duty lasers from other countries.

It seems, sadly, only a matter of time until a real tragedy occurs, given the increasing number of incidents involving aircraft pilots being targeted by laser-wielding mischief-makers.

Perhaps now is the time to look seriously at restricting the import of such devices, and imposing yet stricter penalties on those who misuse them.