Tina Turner scares off birds from airport

A British airport is blasting out Tina Turner songs to scare birds away from its runways.

Gloucestershire Airport in Staverton has been playing songs, such as Simply The Best, full blast from a loudspeaker mounted on a van which is driven up and down the runways.

The speakers normally play bird distress noises, but when it failed to work one day, staff turned the tape player on and found that the diva's powerful voice was just as effective.

Head of Operations Darren Lewington told the Gloucestershire Echo: "Normally we use the speakers on the top of the vehicle we use to drive around the airport to play bird distress calls.

"But when our bird distress noises weren't working properly, they turned the tape player on, and that day it was Tina Turner who scared the birds away."

Christopher Short, of the Countryside and Community Research Institute, said: "Clearly birds and planes are not a good combination for either the bird or the plane.

"You want something therefore that's going to keep those birds away, and create a habitat that's not of interest for them."