THE MP for Arfon has written to the secretary of state for defence following complaints about low flying jets.

Hywel Williams MP said he had “received a number of complaints from constituents about four military jets flying extremely low over Caernarfon and surrounding villages such as Bontnewydd, Rhostryfan and Rhosgadfan” on the morning of Friday, 22 April.

Having welcomed a number of Ukrainian refugees to the area, Mr Williams said he found is “shocking that the MoD or any other operator would think such unscheduled and unnecessary flights would be acceptable in the current climate”. In a letter to the Rt Honourable Ben Wallace MP, the secretary of state for defence, Mr Williams said: “I have received a number of complaints from constituents about four military jets flying extremely low over Caernarfon and surrounding villages such as Bontnewydd, Rhostryfan and Rhosgadfan today (22 April) at approximately 10.10am.

“Having been at home in Caernarfon at that time, I can confirm that this was extraordinarily low flying, causing a huge amount of noise and vibration.

“Having checked the official low flying timetable issued by the Ministry of Defence, I note that these manoeuvres were not scheduled.

“I would therefore like to know why these aircraft saw fit to fly so low and why these flights took place outside of the official timetable.”

He added: “Such stunts create noise, nuisance and fear and are not acceptable. Having welcomed a number of Ukrainian refugees to Arfon, I find it shocking that the Ministry of Defence would think such unscheduled and unnecessary flights would be acceptable in the current climate.

“Goodness knows what these already-traumatised families must think.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said he had spoken to colleagues in the Low Flying Cell at Swanwick.

“They confirm that the aircraft in question were F-15 aircraft, flown by the United States Air Force from Lakenheath in Suffolk,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for RAF Lakenheath said: “We can confirm there were jets from the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath, in the area on Friday, 22 April. We are currently looking into the incident with regards to the timetable and schedule.

“It is typical to conduct routine training, which is required for combat proficiency, and demonstrates our commitment to collective defence and cooperative security alongside the UK, and our other allies and partners in the region.

“While we take maximum care to avoid overpopulated areas to mitigate noise impacts, we apologize for the disturbance caused.”

The Rt Honourable Ben Wallace MP has also been asked to comment.