AVIATION authorities have revealed there were four near misses involving passenger aircraft and RAF jets near Durham Tees Valley Airport in the last three months.

The latest incident was on May 4 and involved an inbound Boeing 737 and a military aircraft at 3,800ft, about 13 miles south-west of the airport.

There are fears the expansion in traffic from Durham Tees Valley is a factor in the number of near misses.

Darlington borough councillor Doris Jones, who is also chairman of nearby Middleton St George Parish Council, said: "To have four near misses near here in the space of three months does concern me.

"I do worry about the number of flights that are going to be going over the village when the airport expands."

As well as the May incident, there were two near misses in April and one in March.

On March 14, another Boeing 737, en route to Dublin, had a near miss with two military aircraft at 5,400ft, five miles south-west of the airport.

Investigations into the incidents are under way. An RAF spokesman said: "We are not cavalier or complacent about this. However, the North-East is a very busy area."

A spokeswoman for Durham Tees Valley Airport said: "These kind of investigations can take up to six months to come to a conclusion, and we cannot comment until they are complete."