IMPROVING the East Coast mainline could help reduce the risk of a major air disaster, according to transport campaigners.

The move is part of a package of measures put forward by pressure group Transport 2000 to try to stem the increase in air travel, after a report claimed the UK has the most crowded air space in Europe.

It follows a preliminary report on the latest near-miss in the North-East, when a passenger plane heading for Newcastle came within 600ft of a military jet, earlier this month.

A Transport 2000 spokesman said the predicted doubling of air traffic over 20 years to 2015 would lead to increased risk of mid-air collisions.

"Inevitably, it will have safety implications. We haven't had a serious air-to-air collision in civil aviation but if the skies above Britain get ever more crowded, that will happen."

He said introducing a tax on aviation fuel and a charge to cover the environmental effects of air travel, would help reduce its competitive edge over other forms of transport.

But work must also be carried out on making alternatives to short-haul trips, including the East Coast mainline, more attractive.

He added: "One of the growing areas of air travel is short-haul flights, such as from London to the North-East, and there is no real reason why people making those flights should not travel by train.

"We need to look at why they are not doing so, and how we can encourage them to use the train."

The call comes after figures put together by airlines claimed seven of the 12 most crowded blackspots in Europe were in UK air space.