THE Civil Aviation Authority was put on alert after vandals cut the mooring lines of a £2,500 advertising balloon.
The helium blimp, measuring the size of a sea container, was moored at the newly-opened Wheatley Business Centre, in Old London Road, next to the A40, when its ropes were sliced last Friday afternoon.
When it became apparent that the blimp was loose the company called the Civil Aviation Authority, the regulator responsible for airspace safety, fearing it could collide with light aircraft.
The company running the business park, Working Assets, has offered a reward for information on the whereabouts of the blimp.
Fraser Hamiliton, managing director of Working Assets, said: "Someone cut the line thinking it would be a great wheeze, but the CAA had to be alerted because it was a potential hazard to aircraft.
"It can only be regarded as an act of vandalism."
CCTV footage has been passed to the police, who have appealed for witnesses.
The blue and white blimp was purchased as an advertising tool from Coventry-based Merlin Inflatables, but a spokesman for the firm said the airship had probably exploded by now.
He added: "Incidents of them going miles and miles are unknown."
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