The Department for Transport (DFT) has rejected calls from a charity to limit the number of planes flying over national park areas and spoiling the peace and tranquillity that attracts visitors.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), which works for “a beautiful, tranquil and diverse countryside that everyone can value and enjoy” has commissioned research which shows that “tranquillity” is a major reason for city dwellers to visit national parks, and has asked for support from the DFT. However the DFT say that tranquillity is an indefinable and subjective concept which can mean different things to different people, suggesting that some prefer their tranquillity with planes screaming overhead.