Coastguard helicopter pilot suspended over Orkney butcher visit

The pilot of a coastguard helicopter in Shetland has been suspended after dropping in on a butcher in Orkney to pick up meat.

The incident came to light after a video of the aircraft landing in a field was posted on YouTube.

It has emerged that the Shetland-based helicopter twice landed near E.R. & T. Craigie Wholesale Butchers in Tankerness to pick up a consignment of meat.

The aircraft’s operators, CHC, confirmed the pilot had been suspended pending the results of a formal investigation.

“We expect high standards of professionalism from all our employees and if we find these have not been met, we will take the appropriate action, a CHC spokesman said.

“While the aircraft was previously engaged in a training exercise, it was operating a non-revenue flight at the time of the incident in question.”

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said that any misuse of its assets was completely unacceptable, and it awaited the outcome of CHC’s investigation.