Hawk to boost security at Prestwick

Security at Glasgow Prestwick Airport is set to receive a boost from an unlikely source – a four-year-old Harris hawk.

The bird of prey, called Jasper, will be used at the Ayrshire hub to scare away seagulls that have taken up residence nearby.

Birds can pose a serious danger to aircraft if they fly too close to engines and it is hoped that Jasper's presence on the airport grounds will discourage seagulls from coming too close to the runway, icScotland.co.uk reports.

Prestwick Airport is becoming an increasingly popular option with people travelling from the Glasgow area, according to recent figures.

Some 192,142 people passed through the hub in March, a rise of six per cent on the previous year, bringing total passenger traffic for the 2007-08 financial year to over 2.4 million.

A number of new destinations have been made available from Prestwick in the past year, including Belfast, Budapest, Cork and Poznan.