RAF Benson’s commander has reassured residents about the safety of helicopters flying low over their homes.

Group Captain Jonathan Burr spoke out after neighbours complained about Puma helicopters “buzzing” homes in Dry Sandford.

People living near the base have long raised concerns about low-flying helicopters, but their worries increased after an inquest into three RAF Benson servicemen who died in a helicopter crash in North Yorkshire.

Coroner Geoff Fell criticised the running of the base in the run-up to the crash in August 2007, although Grp Cpt Burr said the base had changed procedures to ensure there was not a repeat of the incident.

Tree surgeon Jeff Clarke, 62, of Green Lane, Dry Sandford, claims to have recorded a video of an RAF Benson Puma performing low-flying manoeuvres above nearby homes on the same day of the fatal crash.

Mr Clarke said: “I became so fed up with the pilots purposefully coming so close to my home that I decided to start filming them.

“They would shoot down, sometimes hitting the top of my trees. When I saw the inquest I put two and two together and realised these could’ve been the same pilots who died.

“It just goes to show how wrong the mentality is at the base. It’s like a war zone around here.

“I start trembling when I hear the noise of the engines.”

Mr Clarke complained to the base about the manoeuvres but was told his house was in a grade one “Dedicated Users Area” for low-flying.

Another nearby resident, who asked not to be named, said: “To be honest, it wasn’t a shock when I heard these men had died because you see them doing low flights all the time above our houses.”

Stephen Grigson, chairman of St Helens Without Parish Council, which includes Dry Sandford, said: “The low flying has been going on for years and it’s something we complain to the base about from time to time.

“The inquest does not encourage a community which is perpetually under low-flying aircraft. It makes you wonder about safety.”

However, Grp Cpt Burr, who is also the Merlin and Puma force commander, said helicopters were authorised to fly down to 50ft in some areas.

He said: “Following the inquest into the Puma accident, I would like to reassure the local residents that the Puma and Merlin Forces operate to the highest training standards.

“We do our utmost to ensure that we minimise the nuisance to the general public.

“However, we authorise crews to fly down to 100ft above ground level, and in some areas down to 50ft above ground level, to fully prepare them to operate at these levels. Training to fly at these heights is essential to mitigate the threat against our people in operational theatres.”