A major search and rescue operation took place in Westerham last week.

However the operation - involving police, ambulance crews and members of the National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA) - was actually a mock search to demonstrate the use of remote-controlled drones in life saving situations.

Mobile phone company O2 recently donated a drone to NSARDA, which enables the charity to scout huge areas from the air before heading out with rescue dogs.Approximately 15-20 people and three search dogs were involved in the exercise, in which a person went 'missing', to make it appear as real as possible.

The exercise began when volunteers received a call from Kent Police, reporting the incident, the volunteers would then follow normal protocol through to the extraction of the casualty.

The 'missing' person was planted in nearby woodland area and teams used the drone, which costs between £1,500 - £2000. to survey the land in order to pick up 'clues' to help the operation, saving precious minutes during the search.

James Dunn, Chairman of NSARDA Kent said:

"The technological advancements that are available now are amazing, and these drones really can save lives.

"As a volunteer organisation we rely on donations and funding, and having our hands on a piece of equipment like this is so precious to us. The drones really help us provide feedback to ground teams, our next step is to hope to roll them out in an operational sense."

Kent is leading the way in trialling drones in such situations and is one of the only places in the UK to be doing it.

Mr Dunn added: "For training we often have to hire helicopters, which are fantastic assets, but they're expensive and difficult to get our hands on.

"The price of hiring a helicopter for two hours could pay for one of these drones, meaning not only are they practical, they're financially viable."

NSARDA Kent volunteers, who responded to 83 call outs for missing person inquiries in 2014, are currently being trained in using the equipment.

A similar exercise carried out by Kent Search and Rescue (KSAR) took place earlier this month in Maidstone.

The mock search took place in Westerham last Friday, April 24.