Man charged with flying drone above ground which saw football match halted

Lewis Franks will appear in court on June 8.

A drone was seen above Chesterfield FC’s ground during a game against Bromley (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire)

A man has been charged with flying a drone above a football match which saw the players taken off the pitch.

Lewis Franks, 27, is alleged to have flown a drone above Chesterfield FC’s Technique Stadium in Derbyshire at 5.20pm on May 7, during the club’s game against Bromley in the National League play-off semi-final.

The referee, Scott Simpson, took the players off the pitch for several minutes in line with safety protocols before the device was seen to land, Derbyshire Police said on Wednesday.

Franks, of Allsops Place, Chesterfield, will appear at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court, in Derby, on June 8 charged with flying a drone above assemblies of people, flying beyond visual line of sight, failing to register as a drone operator and failing to display an operator ID on the drone used by a remote pilot.